


The Weddings of the Century

by CanuckleheadCowgirl, magnetocerebro



Series: The 714 Marvel Universe [44]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff everywhere, Gen, Mawwage, SO MUCH FLUFF, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 69,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanuckleheadCowgirl/pseuds/CanuckleheadCowgirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetocerebro/pseuds/magnetocerebro
Summary: It's finally here! Volumes and volumes of slow build, and it all pays off here!
Relationships: Chance Summers (OC)/Elin Howlett (OC), James Howlett Jr (OC)/Vanessa, Jubilee/Noh-Varr, Kate Bishop/Kurt Wagner, Logan/K (OC), Scott Summers/Annie Hale (OC), Sying-Varr (OC)/Krissy Wagner (OC), Tommy Shepherd/Cassie Lang
Series: The 714 Marvel Universe [44]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/552748
Comments: 21
Kudos: 5





	1. The Night Before

Since Elin and Chance were getting married in a small, intimate setting with only their families involved, Krissy had determined that, the night before, Elin had to have a good bachelorette party. She just had to.

Which was how most of the girls from Westchester ended up in K's cabin. Both of the Lee twins, the two Elfling girls, both of Annie's girls, and Elin's sisters… plus Zoe and Vanessa and Storm's daughter, Amadi, who still adored Elin since she had gone to school in LA. Everyone was there, and they were all ready to celebrate what felt like a long time coming, even if it had been only a year and some change since the two of them had actually started dating.

Anyone that wanted to was in full pampering mode, with manicures and pedicures, face scrubs, the whole nine. Of course, beyond that was also a fire and some s'mores, and the girls were totally set to relax all night long.

"You are going to come back for a party after the ceremony, right?" Melody asked Elin in a low whisper. "Because I need to see you hit Krissy. Or Vanessa. One of them. One of them needs a bouquet. The other one can get a garter, okay? This is just… it just has to happen."

"No guarantees," she replied. "I'm not the one planning this thing."

"Yeah but you know Chance will do whatever you say, and if you say you want to hit Krissy in the face with your flowers…" Celeste chimed in with a little giggle.

"I'm not _premeditating_ anything," Elin said, shaking her head. "Unless _you_ need a bouquet?"

"For what boy?" both of the twins asked in tandem.

"Please don't say you're leaving yourself open for a set up." Elin smiled wickedly. "Because I _can_ arrange for that."

The girls glanced at each other and both shook their heads. "No," they said quickly.

"I mean, Jayce and Tristan are cute," Melody amended.

"In a ridiculous boy sort of way," Celeste added.

"I'm not setting you up with Jayce," Elin said. "You can do that yourself."

"She sure can," Melody said, smirking over at Celeste before she turned back to Elin and put her finger in her face. "You are so lucky Sying and Krissy are close so I can still be a bridesmaid, I hope you know."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Elin said, pulling her feet up underneath her on the deck just outside of the living room. "You're putting way too much emphasis on the dresses and parties."

"You have met our parents, haven't you?" Celeste pointed out. "The music lover and the party queen?"

"I'm not entirely sure which parent is which in that description," Elin deadpanned.

"Besides," Melody said, "we like dresses!"

"And parties."

"And music."

"Yet … you haven't even tried to find boys to go dancing with." Elin shook her head at them. "Don't start pushing for everyone else to get married. They will if they want to _eventually_."

"Okay, but I know for a fact that there are people who do want to," Melody pointed out.

"Our brother for one thing," Celeste agreed.

"He just wanted to wait until after you and Chance get done with all your adorableness," Melody said, making sure to keep her voice low enough that Krissy wouldn't hear.

"So we want our brother to be happy," Celeste summed up.

"And I want to wear a dress," Melody said.

"You always want to wear a dress," Amadi teased, breaking into the twins' back and forth to give Elin some backup, since it was obvious to anyone who knew them that the girls were building up to a rhythm.

"I look amazing," Melody said haughtily. "In anything. At all. Ever."

"You so do," Kari giggled, joining the group in solidarity.

"You two really can't pull off yellow, though," Elin said offhandedly. "You did not inherit your mother's flair."

Celeste and Melody both shrugged. "Can't be helped," Melody said.

"Alien pallor," Celeste agreed.

"We look great in greens and blues, though," Melody said, a little louder so that Krissy could hear her.

"Noted," Krissy said with an easy smile, well used to the teasing at this point, considering her boyfriend's sisters were psychic.

"We will be _gorgeous_ , right, 'Nessa?" Melody called out, not even trying to be subtle about targeting the two girls they knew were closest to proposals. "Sisters of the groom…"

"I guess that will depend entirely on if you tick her off between now and then," Vanessa said with a shrug. "But Elin can pull off either of the ones Krissy is leaning toward."

"Well of course," Krissy said reasonably. "Gotta have my best friend looking amazing at my wedding."

"And considering I really only look off in neon, I think we're safe," Elin said.

"And," Krissy said, leveling a finger toward the twins. "You are one wedding ahead of the rest of us. This is about Ellie tonight."

"The future Mrs. Summers," Chloe chimed in with a smirk.

"Is that all you care about, troubles?" Elin asked.

Chloe giggled and shook her head. "Well, having another sister around will be nice…" she admitted. "But mostly, I just want to see my brother's face when he can call you that. He will never, ever, ever come back down."

"Oh my God, he has been ridiculously obnoxious with _just_ the fiancé thing," Elin laughed.

"Only gonna get worse," Charlie assured her, smirking to match her sister.

"He'll get over it," Elin said.

"And what are you gonna do when he doesn't?" Chloe laughed.

"He _will,_ though."

"Not an answer to my question," Chloe sang out, giggling madly.

"Because your question is ridiculous."

"It's the night before a wedding. I think ridiculous questions are allowed," Kari said with a smile.

"Is that the only obsession you have? The last name?"

"It's more about Chance being obnoxious and whether you can handle it," Chloe admitted, her tone totally troublemaking.

"If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have said yes," she pointed out. "He isn't scary. Even with that."

"He will be so sad to hear that," Charlie teased. "He likes scary."

"Don't make me turn this into a game of hide and seek," Elin said. "Cold feet run in the family, I'm told. And then he _might_ get scary … with you."

"Please don't do that," Charlie said seriously. "He will be inconsolable."

"Wasn't planning on it," she said, hand over her heart.

"Good because if you were… I would probably have to hit you," Chloe sang out happily, as if it was a perfectly exciting prospect.

"I'd say you drove me to it," Elin replied.

"Such a horrible thing to do to the guy you love," Kari said.

"Also apparently runs in my family," Elin said calmly.

"Hear that, 'Nessa? Watch out!" Krissy laughed.

"Not an issue for the guys," Elin said. "Don't be horrible to her just because you realized she's in love."

"She can't help it," Kari said. "I'm only safe because I am Cadabra-less." Her breakup with Harry was recent, and she was trying out the idea of joking about it to get over it. It was just enough like her mom that everyone who knew her family saw it for what it was.

"His loss," Elin said, knowing better than to tease when Kari really was broken up about it.

"For real," Krissy said fervently. "My sister is a catch."

"You'll find someone cuter," Elin promised.

Kari shrugged. "Eventually."

"Oh, you are so not like your sister," Sadie said. "She had like … entire weddings planned out for the boys she was with… where they would live ... kids names … ridiculous."

Krissy let out a little sniff. "I still do."

"And are they different from what the last one was?" she teased with a smirk.

"Obviously," Krissy said. "There have to be musical names with Sying."

Kari just smiled at Sadie. "Hey, I don't have any prospects. So … let her run with it."

"Oh, hell. Where are the wolves when you need them?" Elin said under her breath.

"To feed your best friend to them or to run away and live with them?" Amadi asked with a crooked sort of smile.

"To run away," Elin said. "They can split the blame."

"Oh obviously," Amadi said, smiling wider. "Leave them out to dry."

"You can be my witness," she said.

"I would absolutely corroborate it," Amadi promised.

"Enough about wolves," Krissy said. "We should make s'mores now."

While Kari teleported over to get the supplies, Elin pulled her knees up a little tighter to watch the fire. "Bossy boots."

"You knew this about me and still decided to be my best friend," Krissy laughed easily.

"Don't make me question my decision on that," Elin said with a little smirk.

"Oh, hush and eat some s'mores!" Krissy laughed.

* * *

The boys, meanwhile, had gone out to one of the Summers' favorite fishing spots for their celebrations. And as Elin had said, Chance was obnoxious for how widely he was grinning.

"Gonna break your face like that, and then the 'H' will look even stupider," Cody teased his brother, bumping him with his shoulder.

"Can't help it," Chance said easily.

"Pretty sure that he'll live," James said, giving Cody a little shove. "Besides, that means you have a shot if you smiled at the girls instead of pulling their hair."

"I do fine on my own," Cody defended.

"Not the stories I've heard," James said loftily.

"He would do better if he did more than stare at Amadi when she came over," Chance chuckled.

James snapped his fingers at him. "Good point. Girls like when you talk, not drool."

"Shut up, James," Cody grumbled.

"Aw, come on," James said with a little smile. "Teasing. That's all. I'm sure you'll be dancing together all night." He tipped his head to the side. "You know. If you can ask her to dance."

"I can," Cody said.

"Great. Then I'll make sure to hit you with the garter and make you wear it like a badge so all the girls know you're radioactive," Chance smirked.

"Awwwww get Sying," Cody said with a wave. "Better target anyway."

"True," Chance said, turning Sying's way. "What's the story anyway? When are you getting with it?"

"Soon," Sying swore. "I just wanted to see my aunt happily married first. We both have time before we can even _get_ married anyway."

"Yeah, not everyone is in such a big _rush,_ " James said. "I still don't know why you two are moving so fast."

"You've met my girlfriend?" Sying said. "Teleporter? Has even less patience than me?"

"Once or twice, yeah, we've crossed paths," James said.

"Besides," Sying said, "if I don't ask her, she will."

"She will, too. She has a plan," Chance said seriously.

"Does it involve tackling him? Because I'm pretty sure she's done that before," James pointed out.

Chance shrugged. "Can't tell you. I was sworn to secrecy."

"Yeah, I wasn't really asking," James said. "But I think admitting that she has a plan could be a breach of secret keeping."

Chance smirked, and Sying shook his head. "I'll get around to it," Sying promised. "We all have time anyway."

"Yeah. I'm like … totally sure that Chance didn't get that memo," James said.

"Hey, I know what I want, and I know she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. This… this is the best way I know to promise her peace of mind for the rest of my life, at least."

James nodded once at that, letting out a little sigh. "Yeah, I heard Dad gave you the rundown."

Chance let out a breath. "Yeah," he admitted. "I can only promise I won't leave her until the day I die. Sorry. If I could promise more, I would."

"Lucky for you, that's really all the vows require," James said.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone could promise more without more drastic measures or a different mutation," Cody said.

"You need to step up your drama," James teased.

"I could," Cody smirked.

"Yeah? Whatcha gonna do?"

"Get a cape," Cody said without hesitating.

James gestured openly as if that was simply the answer to any question.

"Taking after Grandpa," Chance said with a little smirk.

Sying snorted. "Please no," he said.

"Next thing you know, he'll be blasting Shi'ar and hanging out in space bars…"

Cody glared at the other boys, though before he could entirely defend himself, Gerry got up to where they were with the food. "Saved by the Sunshine," Chance teased Cody.


	2. Just Kiss Already

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IT'S HERE IT'S HERE IT'S HERE

Since the wedding was set to start before sunset, the wedding party had all day to prep — but also all day for the nerves and excitement to get to them. But no one felt too rushed while they were all working on their hair, makeup and the finishing touches.

And the closer they got to time to _go_ , the more nervous Elin got, though she was really only getting quieter and quieter and trying to stay out of everyone's way once she was in her dress — sleeveless and almost gossamer since the girls had decided on the 'vision' they wanted to work with.

Krissy of course didn't notice because she was dancing around the room in her smoky blue-purple dress, but Charlie sat down beside Elin and rested a hand gently on her knee.

"Whatever it is that has you ready to run," she said softly, "is it stronger than how much you love him?"

Elin shook her head lightly, but didn't really look up at her. "Just nerves."

"Anything I can do to help?" Charlie asked. "Remind you how much he loves you? What do you need?"

But again, Elin shook her head, since she honestly had no idea why she was so anxious suddenly. She'd been almost relaxed the night before.

Charlie watched Elin carefully and then took a deep breath. "I have to be selfish for a second," she said. "And just… please, don't break my brother."

"I have no intention to," Elin said, finally looking up at her with a frown. "At all."

"I did warn you I had to be selfish," Charlie said. "And you can't blame me." She settled in a little more. "But you know he's absolutely head over heels for you. You have to see that."

She nodded almost to herself. "I don't want him to think it was a mistake later," she said very quietly. "For any reason."

"He won't," Charlie assured her. "I know my brother. Not just what he's feeling, but how he thinks. And if you think he would ever marry _anyone_ without meaning it in every cell of his body, you don't understand him at all."

"I didn't say I was being entirely rational," Elin replied.

"No, but sometimes it helps to hear someone lay it out," Charlie said. "At least, it helps me."

"I'll be fine," Elin said, again very quietly.

Charlie let out a breath and then reached over to give Elin a quick hug. "Does it help at all if I point out that I'm super excited to get another sister?"

"No," Elin admitted. "Every time I hear that, it feels like I'm abandoning my family. Which I know is not the case, but still."

"What happened to the teasing about the 'H' being for Howlett?" Charlie said with a smirk. "Because you know he's _thrilled_ with the idea of being part of your family."

Elin tipped her chin up a little bit and did her best to sound snooty. "We would never be that obvious about it."

Charlie giggled. "Well, you know our family. And Chance has always worn his heart on his sleeve. He's still trying to work up the nerve to call Logan 'Dad' for the first time, you know."

She had to smile softly at that. "I really don't understand that," she said.

"Hey, there was a while there where your dad would hardly acknowledge him," Charlie pointed out. "He worked hard to get the trust back, but 'dad' is a whole other level of things."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "He's just … Dad is not that scary."

"He's thinking a lot of the same things you are," Charlie told Elin. "Worried that you or Logan will decide he's not worth it — or change your mind."

"Can't tell from all the sunshine he's throwing," Elin said. "Most of the time."

"Oh, that's genuine too," Charlie said with a laugh as she leaned back. "He's on _Cloud Nine_. It's a good thing I have Gerry or I'd be going through happiness withdrawals when you cart him away for the honeymoon."

By that time, the two of them had drawn a bit of attention, and the younger girls came over to give Elin encouraging hugs and smiles — and Malin, of course, insisted that she wanted to help Elin with her hair before it was all done.

It wasn't too long before Logan and K stepped in — K to give Elin a quick kiss and wish her luck and Logan to take Elin when she was ready to go, though when he saw she was still anxious, he pulled her over to wrap her up in a hug and give her a little kiss on the temple.

"Hey. Relax," he said so quietly that no one but Elin could hear it. "If you don't _want_ to do this, you don't have to. But if you _do_ … don't pull the same crap your mother did or I _will_ have to kill him."

Elin couldn't help but break into a little laugh at that and wrapped him up tightly. "Okay. I just gotta breathe."

"Take your time, sweetheart. He can wait."

When Elin was finally ready — or thought she was — she held her breath and gave her father a nod, and just like that, he gave her another kiss and they were off.

And meanwhile, Chance was standing at the base of the natural fountain in the woods, his nerves obvious to see even if he was grinning. Cody kept trying to get him to chill out with whispered little jokes, though it was Nate who did more when he arrived and flashed Chance an encouraging grin and made sure to give him a hug while they waited for Elin.

"I'm glad you came," Chance said, grinning.

"Wouldn't miss it," Nate promised, chuffing Chance's shoulder before he went to stand with Scott and Annie — as well as Annie's parents. Douglas was completely engrossed in talking with Rachel as she recounted the story of how Chance and Elin got together (edited to not give him a heart attack), and the whole group of Chance's family looked so happy that it was hard for Chance not to smile.

Hope, Chloe, and Charlie all arrived, and Elin's siblings… even Daken and Laura had come. Though they were limiting the event to family only, there were plenty of faces that Chance could draw from to calm his nerves.

It was just that he kept waiting to hear that Elin had decided to run the other way. He knew that she was nervous, and he knew that Logan was worried about the heat that both of them had brought down on themselves — especially Chance lately. He almost wouldn't be surprised at this point to see K walk out to meet them and say that the wedding was off.

But then he saw K coming to join them, and she didn't announce that they all had to go back home, so by that point, he was practically holding his breath until he saw Logan and Elin, with Elin holding onto Logan's arm the whole way down to him.

Chance couldn't help but grin when he saw her. The dress was beautiful, simple, and the breeze caught the flowing skirt just right. He could have gotten lost staring at her — the way the thin straps sat on her shoulders, the way her hair sat… But it really was all a moot point when he saw her look up to meet his gaze and then broke into a smile her way.

When Elin finally reached the end of the aisle, Logan took just a moment to give her a little kiss on the cheek after the two of them touched their foreheads together — and he simply stepped back.

Kurt was beaming at both of them. While he wasn't nearly as choked up as an openly crying Jubilee was, it was obvious that doing the wedding for his goddaughter had him a little emotional. "We are gathered today as friends and family across the world," he said, indicating the bamfs that had various cameras and equipment to send the video of the wedding to the people who couldn't make it — in an effort to keep the whole thing small. "To celebrate the union of two of the most wonderful people I know. And believe me, I've seen them in every moment of their lives as they grew into the people they are today." His tail swayed as he smiled at them both. "You are both so loved. And you deserve endless happiness. So let this be the first day of many more days of joy."

Chance couldn't stop grinning at Elin through the whole of Kurt's speech, though admittedly, he was not paying attention to what Kurt said. He did get a very amused sort of psychic nudge from Nate to get him out of his thoughts — which mostly consisted of how amazing Elin looked and how lucky he was — so that he was paying enough attention for the vows.

"Elin," he started out, his mouth dry before he swallowed and started again. "Elin Howlett… I never thought I would ever be able to do this. You were the star in the sky I could never touch. But you let me come as high as I could and came down to me, and I can never deserve you. All I can promise is to give you every day of my life. Every one. I'm yours."

She shook her head at him and had to give his hand a little squeeze. "You, my sweet Summers, know me better than anyone else in the world — and still manage to love me anyhow. You're my best friend. And I can't imagine not being with you for everything that we do — and I hope that whatever happens, we can make an adventure out of it." She didn't wait for Kurt to say anything before she stepped forward and kissed Chance's cheek, just because she knew he wouldn't stop her.

Kurt smirked at her but did step in a bit when Chance moved to kiss Elin, pushing him back a bit with his tail, though that only had Elin smiling a little wider.

Chance only waited long enough for Kurt to pronounce them husband and wife before he stepped forward again and wrapped Elin up in a kiss. "Love you, El," he whispered to her.

"Love you too," she replied just as quietly as they shifted to hold on to each other in a hug for just a moment.

He grinned that much wider before he turned to the others in the group — and predictably, both of his sisters rushed forward to rush them with hugs.

They hardly even noticed when the bamfs brought everyone back to the ballroom of the mansion until there was an outbreak of applause.

Chance grinned and pulled Elin tighter around the waist. "They're playing our song," he murmured into her hair.

"We have a song?" she asked, turning his way slightly.

"Sure. Whatever song they're playing," he said before he simply picked her up, spun her around, and started to dance with her, to more applause from the rest of their friends and family.

"All of them?" she asked with a smile before she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Sounds reasonable to me," he said.

"You're greedy, Sweet Summers."

"You knew that when you married me," he said.

She tipped her head to the side and shook it slowly. "No … no this … is a newer development."

"Oh well, too late now," he teased.

"I should come up with a horrible habit of my own," she teased right back.

"I will probably find it endearing," he shot back.

"That sounds like a challenge," she said with a little growl.

He just grinned and leaned into her to kiss her. "A challenge to love you more? Accepted."

"You're going to need to, because I'm in the lead. Love you more."

He laughed and picked her up to spin her again. "I'll catch up," he promised.

"Maybe …"

"Not 'maybe'. I definitely love you most," he laughed.

"No way," she said, then stole a quick kiss. "But go ahead and bring it."

As Chance and Elin shared their first dance, Douglas had leaned over to Jubilee, who had been seated close to him at the wedding, and smiled her way. "I remember when my Evelyn and I were married. That same look was on her face too."

"Then you're a lucky man," Jubilee said with a bright smile.

"I absolutely am," he agreed. He tipped his head to her left hand. "And where is yours?"

"Oh, mine's the music man," she said, pointing to Noh across the way. "The bride is my little sister. Sorta."

Douglas followed her gaze to where Noh was with his table of old records and music. "Oh, you can do better than a beatnik."

Jubilee broke out laughing but started to nod. "You know, you might just be right, but I love him anyhow. Darn kids."

Douglas smiled at her. "Well, maybe when you two have been married for a while, he'll grow out of it. Start a family."

She couldn't help but smile wider. "I think that's a great idea, and I'm sure he'll get a haircut by then, too."

Douglas just laughed and nodded. "My Evelyn had a brother like that."

She leaned closer to him and put one hand on the side of her mouth as she let her voice drop lower. "There's one in every family." She pointed across the room to where Laura and Daken were chatting. "Ours has two."

"I did wonder about the hair," he said in a conspiratory tone.

"We all do, sir. We all do." She was shaking her head slowly the whole time.

Douglas beamed at her and then leaned back in his chair. "Well, I'd best find my Evelyn," he said.

"I'm sure she's looking for you," Jubilee said as she gave his arm a little squeeze. "But don't leave until you take my sister for a spin around the dance floor."

"If the new groom can share," Douglas teased.

"My dad'll get him to take a break," she said, grinning a little wider. "The groom will have to share for a little while."

"I did," Douglas said. "Did I tell you about my Evelyn?"

She rested her chin in her hand and smiled up at him. "Not enough. Only that she's the prettiest girl in the world and that she has to like a man in uniform."

"She looked as pretty as a picture when I met her," Douglas said, launching into a description of their wedding with a twinkle in his eye.

"She really is so good. It must be a family trait," Annie told K as she sat down by the pregnant woman with some food from the table.

"Probably learned it from Logan," K replied with a little smile, though it was clear that she wasn't exactly comfortable.

"You know, we have it from here if you want to just relax," Annie offered.

"And do what? Miss watching Chance try to break his face in half grinning? No. I'm where I should be." She rested one hand on top of her stomach and shrugged. "Besides, if I go now, Murphy's Law says something stupid will happen. So … I'll just watch from here. Get a kiss from my little girl before they take off … and do my best impression of a land whale."

"She looks lovely," Annie said warmly. "I can't believe how lucky we are to have her in our family."

"She was nervous," K told her. "But that seems to have been a fleeting thing."

"Oh good, because I remember eighteen years ago…" Annie teased.

"Yeah ... " K glanced down and shook her head. "I really need to learn my lesson, don't I?"

Annie laughed. "Well, you can only marry him once," she teased.

"I don't know about that," K said. "Don't those things come with expiration dates? Something?"

"Til death," Annie smiled.

She smiled Annie's way with one eyebrow arched, clearly teasing. "Then why do people do renewals?"

"For the romance of it," Annie said with a smile.

"I'd be afraid he'd start asking me all over again," she said.

"Kurt would be thrilled to do it," Annie laughed.

"He would," K agreed. "And Logan would start proposing all over if he thought it would get a rise." She leaned back, considering it. "I might not make him ask me so many times the second time around."

"It might be fun to show the littlest ones how it's done," Annie teased.

"I don't know - they might get tired of hearing it after a couple months."

"All the more reason to say 'yes' faster."

"Annie, you are a hopeless romantic," K said before she leaned over to lean her head on Annie's shoulder.

"That's why I married the man I did," Annie said with a smile as she tipped her head toward Scott, who was watching Chance and Elin dancing with a smile that was equal parts relieved and ecstatic.

"Yeah, ol' brown eyes will barely be recovered from the happy dad face when we get a new round of baby face."

"I won't complain," Annie said with a smile. "He needs the happiness in his life. Heaven knows he deserves it."

"Both of ours do," K agreed.

"How is yours?" Annie asked. "You're both so old-fashioned, and to be giving away a daughter…"

"We are. Very, very old," K laughed. "But he wants her to be happy. Like any other good father." She pointed toward Elin. "As long as she's smiling, Logan is fine."

"Well then, it's a good thing our kids are so head over heels for each other."

"And have been for so so long," K agreed.

"I always hoped they would figure it out," Annie admitted.

"She had a rough patch of things for a while, but … she came around. Can't complain."

"So did he, but he made it through. In large part because of her," Annie whispered.

K nodded. "She almost disappeared a few times, you know."

"I'm glad she didn't," Annie said. "I love her too much to see her like that."

"Honestly, I wonder if it isn't something that just goes with the turf," she said. "I don't know one person with a similar mutation that hasn't had a real issue with wanting to isolate."

"Tyler?" Annie asked.

"He was alone when we found him," K said. "I don't think … was he even sixteen?" She shook her head. "That whole age is hard. James is ignoring it as much as he can, but he's a flight risk too."

"Oh, but he and Vanessa are so beautiful together!" Annie said.

"They are," K said with a nod. "And he'll be fine as long as nothing bad happens. He might even be fine if it's a drift apart situation. That … would be okay. And seeing as she doesn't have a family of her own to pitch a fit about who she's dating?" She let out a breath slowly. "We'll just have to see how it goes, but he's head over heels. He's quiet about it - but it's there."

"That's beautiful," Annie said, her eyes shining.

"They fall young."

"And hard," Annie said. She leaned forward with a little smile. "Your grandson has that trait too, you know. How long was he after Krissy?"

"As I understand it, he's got a double whammy from Mom and Dad," K said though she smiled slowly at the question. "How long do you want to count back? Because he was chasing Krissy with sugar for almost as long as Chance and Elin have been sharing cupcakes."

Annie smiled at that. "Like you said, they fall young."

"I blame their father," she said with a wave. "All of 'em. All the dads."

"Safe bet," Annie said. "Though I may have to take credit for Chance. Scott was a bit slow for my tastes."

"Maybe," K said. "But you and I don't know for sure what the story was when he was young and stupid."

"This is true. We should ask Hank," Annie laughed. "But the way I heard it, he fell hard, did nothing… sounds like a pattern with him." She leaned in. "Leslie Ann was calling him 'uncle' before he even knew what to do with himself."

K smiled. "And for Logan, the way I understand it, he'd fall hard and go after them hard — oh look. Another pattern."

"We have ridiculous boys," Annie said.

"Who have been immeasurably lucky in their later years."

"Oh, very," she agreed.

K smiled a little wider. "Unless you're gone when the little one shows, I'm going to want to see you first thing."

Annie beamed at her. "In a heartbeat," she swore.

K sat back and shooed her. "Go dance with your son. He needs a little humility."

"He is just like his father," Annie said, but she got to her feet anyway and slipped over to where Chance was still wrapped up in spinning with Elin. "Do you mind if I steal him, dear?"

"No, go ahead … it's probably time I found Dad anyhow," she said before she gave Chance's hand a little squeeze and tried to simply slip out of the way.

She made a beeline to Logan, and in a moment, he pulled her close and swept her into a sweet little dance that had Jubilee bouncing in her seat.

And of course, now that the two of them had been separated, they didn't get back to each other right away, instead finding new partners as Charlie stole her brother away and Scott stole Elin with a smile and a whispered, "Welcome to the family" that got her to stop for just a moment and then wrap her arms around his neck for a hug.

He grinned and spun her. "Not that you weren't part of the family before."

"It's different," she said. "And much more official."

"True," he allowed. "And that just makes me that much prouder."

"Love you too," Elin said, shaking her head a little. "But you already knew that, right?"

"I did," he said with a smile. "And I love you too."

She couldn't help but smile, but there was a troublemaking sparkle. "Oh. I have some very bad news for you, by the way. Minor, but I don't think you thought about it yet."

"Oh?" Scott asked with one eyebrow raised.

She managed to keep a straight face as she nodded seriously. "Technically, you're now a shirttail relation to Deadpool. You're welcome."

Scott stared at her for a long moment. "That… huh."

She beamed up at him. "He's going to be so excited when he figures it out!" She tipped her head to the side a little. "If he hasn't already … but I haven't seen my aunt yet, sooo … they may not be coming anyhow."

Scott blinked a few times before he simply shook his head. "Then I'm sure your dad has also realized this makes him a coattail relation to Magneto."

She nodded. "Yeah, he got there a while ago. Said it was out of his hands."

"Worth it to see you both happy," Scott said.

"Thanks," she said before she gave him another hug.

When she did finally get to meet back up with Chance, it was only after both of her brothers had stolen a dance, as well as Cody. And Chance had been through her sisters and his own, too. It was just the fact that Noh insisted on cake cutting -spurred on by Jubilee excited about a required sugary moment — that brought them together again.

"I didn't know you were coming to this party," Elin said half under her breath to him as he took her hand in his.

He chuckled and squeezed her hand. "What's a girl as pretty as you doing in a place like this?"

"Looking for a kiss, apparently," she said with a light shrug.

He grinned and happily obliged, pulling her into a long kiss before he handed her the knife so he could step behind her and put his arms around her to cut with her.

Of course, she took the opportunity to lean back into him and gave him a peck on the cheek over her shoulder when they actually made the cut.

They cut out a slice that they neatly shared with each other, though not so neatly that there wasn't icing to spare to kiss each other with, before Krissy took up the call for Elin to throw her bouquet.

"It's tradition!" she insisted.

"You sound like _Kitty_!" Elin called back, though she didn't fight her too hard when Krissy gently pushed the little bundle of sunflowers and deep red roses into her hand. She shook her head at the gathering group, narrowed her eyes at who was where, turned her back, then took just a moment to weigh it out before she tried to at least make it _look_ like an honest toss, even though she arced it just right to drop right into Vanessa's lap.

"Don't ever challenge her to basketball," Sadie teased over Kari's shoulder.

"Not that Vanessa is complaining," Kari said, smiling over at the wide-eyed blonde as Vanessa paused only a moment before rushing over to James to tackle him in a kiss.

"Why would she?" Sadie asked with her chin tipped up.

"No reason at all," Kari said honestly. "James is … amazing."

"Don't sound so surprised," Sadie said, frowning lightly.

"Don't be so defensive. He's been my friend since before you were born. I love him to bits."

"That … is my beautiful big brother; of course I'm defensive," Sadie said.

"Well I'm not _surprised_ he's amazing. Stop putting words in my mouth when I think the world of him."

Sadie turned her way with her arms crossed. "Mmmhmm."

"What is up with you?" Kari asked.

"Nothing," Sadie said quickly, not pointing out that she could see Kari was pining. "We should see how the other half of the ridiculous goes, don't you think?"

Kari nodded as she and Sadie watched a widely grinning and fairly pink Chance emerge from the delicate skirt of Elin's dress with the blueish lace in his teeth. And though he started out not looking, he simply grinned and turned right around to peg Sying in the middle of the forehead.

"Nice catch," he told Sying with a smirk.

Sying gaped at him for a second and then almost glared but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he took a page out of Vanessa's book and zipped over to Krissy to dip her into a kiss, which she enthusiastically returned, earning a little frown from Kurt and a whoop from Jubilee.

"I'd propose now, but I don't want to steal the spotlight from the newlyweds," Sying whispered to her, earning a smirk from Krissy and anyone with enhanced hearing.

"I'd say yes, but you're right; we should wait and do it properly," Krissy replied just as softly, which only had him grinning and kissing her deeply all over again.

After plenty of smiling and teasing directed towards both of the couples, Noh announced that it was time for one last dance. Chance was only too happy to take that cue, sweeping Elin up into a beautiful spinning dance.

The song was ending as the sun set on the horizon, and Krissy and the army of bamfs made sure everyone had sparklers to wave as the two of them went to where a horse was tethered nearby so that they could literally ride off into the sunset, bound for a getaway in the mountains.

"So … where are we going?" Elin asked, one eyebrow raised his way. "Your sister never said."

"You're not the only one who can find a nice cabin in the woods," he said with a smirk. "Though mine is a little more of a timeshare resort kind of place."

She smiled his way and shook her head. "Well, I guess that'll work," she said. "If you're nice, next time, Dad will give you coordinates for one of his pretty spots."

"Yeah, but I wanted this to be just us," Chance said. "Not something your dad gave us."

She gave him a kiss and put her hands on both sides of his neck. "I know. But you'll have to talk to him again sooner or later."

"When we get back. Eventually," he said with a smirk.

"He is not scary," she laughed. "I promise."

"Hey, I _like_ your dad," he pointed out. "I just want to be us. Not his kids, not my dad's. That's all I'm saying."

"Well … that's too bad, because we are anyhow," she said. "No reason we can't be all of that, though."

He rolled his eyes. "I know. When we get back, we will be. Just let me spoil you on my terms this one time, huh?"

She gave him a much better kiss. "You get more than this one time, Sweet Summers."

"I get moments for the rest of our lives together," he agreed and returned the kiss. "Hope you're ready for that."

"I guess we'll find out," she said.


	3. Love is in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MORE FLUFF. FLUFF EVERYWHERE.

After Chance and Elin's wedding, and all the excitement that had come with it, had died down, the Lee twins had turned their attention toward the couple that they knew would be the next big party: their brother and Krissy.

Both of them knew that those two were just waiting for _the right moment_ to propose, but to their unending amusement, both Sying and Krissy had made up their minds that the proposal was going to happen for Krissy's birthday.

At first, it had just been entertaining as Melody and Celeste listened to the two of them plotting and planning in their own heads, though they had to admit that Sying had the advantage here, considering he was the one who could actually claim the privilege of _giving_ Krissy something for her birthday — which left Krissy in the unenviable position of trying to find a way to use her own birthday to give herself a proposal.

 _You know,_ Melody projected to Krissy as they were sitting across from each other at breakfast that morning, _you could still set it up right if you let it drop that you wanted to go to Paris for your birthday._

Krissy's head came up, and she looked between the twins for a moment before narrowing her eyes at Melody. _You two are ridiculous._

 _Hey, we want you two to be married just as much as you do,_ Melody argued.

 _Mmm, maybe not that much,_ Celeste amended, since she could tell that Krissy was about to argue that point.

Krissy chuckled despite herself and shook her head at both of them. _I can manage on my own, thanks._

 _You really can't,_ Celeste said. _Besides, Melody's wrong; you're both looking at it wrong. Who says you have to propose in Paris just because your mom did it?_

 _Because it's beautiful and romantic?_ Krissy pointed out.

 _You can come up with something better on your own, I'm sure,_ Celeste reasoned.

 _Not that Paris isn't totally romantic,_ Melody said.

Celeste rolled her eyes at her sister and hit her in the arm. _Yeah, but Sying will see it coming a mile away as soon as he hears the French, even if she blindfolds him. It would have to be someplace totally private so he can't overhear anyone whispering about the cute couple clearly about to have a live proposal._

Krissy blinked for a moment and then very slowly nodded. _You know… that's a very good point. I didn't think about the super-hearing giving things away._

 _Happy to help,_ Melody said.

 _Besides, you're going to be our sister soon,_ Celeste added. _And we want him to be happy too. He_ is _the only big brother we've got._

Krissy couldn't help but laugh at the perfectly reasonable expressions on both of their faces before she waved at them both. "See you later," she said out loud before she simply teleported away, leaving the twins grinning at each other.

 _That was fun,_ Celeste projected to her sister.

 _I still can't believe you shot down Paris,_ Melody replied, shaking her head at her sister and leaning over to hit her in the arm. _Paris! Come on!_

 _Yeah, but now she's thinking about something a little more private and a little more sunshiney. Much better for them anyway,_ Celeste reasoned.

"What are you two plotting over there?" Sying asked with a raised eyebrow as he came down — no doubt looking for Krissy, since she didn't usually finish breakfast this early. "And don't try to deny it, because I _know_ you can't be that quiet for that long unless you're plotting."

The twins glanced at each other and then shrugged in tandem. "We can't tell you," Celeste said.

"Because it would ruin the surprise," Melody said.

"That's a totally acceptable reason to stay in our heads, right?" Celeste said with a little flutter of her eyelashes. "Surprise for our big brother?"

"Somehow, I think there's more to it than that," Sying said, shaking his head at them both. "Have you seen Krissy?"

"Yeah, she just left," Melody said. She reached out telepathically to add, _She really did mean it, you know, when she said she'd say 'yes' if you asked her._

 _I know,_ Sying replied.

 _So what's taking so long, brother of ours?_ Melody teased, though there was just enough of a serious tone behind it that it was clear she was serious.

Sying raised his eyebrows as he looked between the two of them, but when they both looked perfectly serious about wanting him to ask Krissy sooner than later, he just let out a little laugh and shook his head as he sat down with his cereal. _Well, for one thing, unless we got married on Hala, I'm not old enough to marry her for a while yet._

 _Just a few more months,_ Melody said, her eyes wide and imploring. _And we didn't ask you when you were getting_ married _. Just when you were going to ask her!_

_Well, her birthday's at the end of the month…_

_And you're still deciding where to take her,_ Celeste interrupted, smiling impishly over at her sister, who nodded slightly to show that they were on the same page. _You know, she does love the beach…_

 _Yeah, I know; that's why she goes to Australia with us every year,_ Sying pointed out. _Look, I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I do actually know my girlfriend better than you seem to be giving me credit for._

 _Yeah, but you're thinking of the beach trips we take with the whole family,_ Melody said. _What about something a little more… romantic?_

Sying narrowed his eyes as he looked between his sisters. "Okay," he said out loud, his gaze bouncing between the two of them. "What's your angle here?"

"No angle," Celeste promised quickly.

"We just want you both to be happy," Melody said.

Sying shook his head at Melody in particular. "You," he said, pointing a finger her way, "just want to wear a bridesmaid's dress."

"Yes, and?" Melody said with a wide and beaming smile. "Nothing wrong with that."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "But you shouldn't be interfering just because you want a dress."

"We told you - we really do want you to be happy," Celeste insisted.

"And you both want to get married, so this whole waiting around thing is _killing_ us," Melody added.

"We're not patient either," Celeste said with a little giggle.

"We're surprised we're more patient than you are," Melody laughed.

"I mean, how you managed not to ask her the day after the wedding…"

Sying held up a hand. "Hey, hey, give me some credit," he said. "I'd like it if Elin was around to celebrate too. I mean, she's our _aunt_ , and Krissy's her best friend!"

"Oh," Melody said, leaning in with her eyes sparkling with trouble. "So you're just waiting for them to get back?"

"Well, Krissy's going to be eighteen in a few weeks anyway," Sying said.

"And you're going to be eighteen in a few months," Celeste said. "Don't you think we should, you know, be able to start _planning_ the wedding?"

"Or are you planning to elope?" Melody accused him. "Because if you are, I'm going to kill you."

"I'll help," Celeste agreed.

"No way," Sying promised quickly. "Mom would kill us if we did that anyway, and besides, I think Krissy's dad is okay enough with the idea now that we can have him do the ceremony."

"Awww, that's so sweet," Melody all but sang out, her hands clasped underneath her chin. "Married by your father-in-law. That's, like, the best seal of approval of all time."

"Pretty much," Sying had to agree. He shook his head at the girls as he spooned another bite of cereal into his mouth, then added, "So don't get so worked up, okay? I promise I know what I'm doing."

"If you say so," the twins said together and then giggled.

Sying just shook his head at both of them before he went to drop off his bowl in the sink and go find Krissy — since, clearly, he needed to figure out something to do for her birthday before the twins took over the whole operation.

* * *

Chance and Elin could have spent ages up in the mountains, just the two of them, enjoying their new married lives together, but they did come back eventually. After all, K was due in August, and they didn't want to miss the debut of Elin's new little brother or sister — the little one hadn't cooperated with Hank when it came to finding out what they were having, though at least the baby had been kind enough to let him see that all of the major checkpoints were all coming along smoothly.

So, the newlyweds decided to come back the weekend of Cody's birthday, which meant they could also be there for the Sweet Sixteen celebration for Chance's little brother. After all, the two boys were incredibly close, even if they teased each other all the time.

Cody beamed when he saw his big brother arrive and rushed over to wrap Chance up in a hug. "Nice of you to make it," he teased.

"We did think about just staying out there," Chance shot back with a grin. "But then we figured you'd all get in trouble without us."

"Yeah, because _I'm_ the trouble magnet in the family."

"Oh sure, live in denial."

Cody just shook his head at that before he made sure to wrap Elin up in a hug as well. "Sorry you have to put up with him like this," he said.

"I knew what I was getting into," Elin said as she gave him a tight squeeze. "Happy Birthday, little brother."

Cody chuckled before he made his way back over to where the other guests were, only for Zoe to catch him up in a warm hug. "Sixteen!' she gushed to him. "Nice of you to join the rest of us."

"Not my fault I was born when I was," he said, shaking his head at her. "You're just like this because sixteen means you were able to go out for the Avengers."

"Well, with Dad retiring, there _had_ to be a Barton on the team. It was pretty much a requirement," Zoe pointed out with an easy smile.

"How's Cap taking it?"

"What, the fact that someone on the team can shift into him and do ridiculous patriotic impressions?" Zoe asked, drawing herself up — and then going further until she actually _was_ Steve, complete with the squared shoulders and everything.

Cody couldn't help but laugh. "So he loves it is what you're saying."

"Oh absolutely," Zoe agreed fervently.

Cody shook his head at her as she shifted back into herself, though by that time, he had seen his cousin at the party and made sure to ask loud enough that Leslie Ann could hear, "You taking good care of my cousin?"

Zoe giggled as Leslie Ann rolled her eyes and came over to ruffle his hair. "I take care of her; what are you talking about?"

"Oh right. My bad, Dr. Wright," Zoe giggled.

"Dr. Wrong, you mean," Cody teased, earning an eye roll from Leslie Ann.

"So original."

"So easy," Cody said, though he grinned anyway and wrapped her up in a hug. "Whatdja get me?"

"Nothing. You're my least favorite cousin," Leslie Ann teased.

Cody rolled his eyes. "No, really."

She grinned and produced a box, which Cody opened to find a personalized GPS for his car. "I set the default to Avengers Tower. So you don't forget to visit me," she teased.

"You should just come home more often," Cody shot back.

"I'll think about it," she said with a smirk before she gave him a big hug and a 'happy birthday' and went off to go hug Scott again.

* * *

As the last month of summer was approaching, the kids were trying to make the best of the last few weeks, spending almost all of their time outside swimming or otherwise having adventures.

Kaleb had just seen Sadie off — she was headed to her ballet class — but he was still in the mood for something fun to do, so when he saw the Lee twins, he broke into a grin and teleported over to them.

"What do you say to a day on the lake?" he asked with a crooked sort of smile, offering his hand to Melody first, since she was usually the first to take him up on an offer of fun.

"Time at the pool hasn't been enough?" she asked with a smile.

"What can I say?" Kaleb said, grinning wider. "I love getting to spend time with you." The grin turned more impish. "And the bathing suits are fun too."

She grinned wider and nodded her head. "Though … is this a private party or just the start of a bigger one?"

Kaleb raised an eyebrow at her as he considered it. "Hmm. I suppose that depends entirely on what you'd like to do," he said.

She shared a look with her twin, and both of them broke down giggling. _He thinks he's subtle._

_And oh, so smooth._

_Who is he crushing on today?_

_Everyone._

Melody giggled. _Could be fun._

_Most definitely._

"Well?" Kaleb looked between the twins with his eyebrows raised.

"Okay. What are we doing?"

Kaleb grinned outright. "Well, I thought a dip in the lake and then some sunbathing — let the sun dry us out and spend some time talking…"

She simply smiled wider and nodded. "If you're going to try _talking._ "

But at that, Kaleb simply started to laugh and then very quickly stepped in to steal a kiss. "I mean, we could do other things too, but it's impolite to assume," he teased.

"Oh, you're going with polite too? That sounds like fun," Melody agreed.

Kaleb just grinned and teleported away with Melody, holding her hand and laughing when they reappeared on the lakefront beach. "Can you survive without your sister?" he teased. "Or is she still in there giving you tips?" He poked her in the center of her forehead to emphasize the point.

She raised an eyebrow and stole a quick kiss. "Like I need help. Puh-lease."

He grinned even wider as they walked along the beach. "Well, you _are_ keeping up with _me_ ," he said, his eyes glittering with amusement.

She rolled her eyes at that. "You're not as slick as you think you are," she sang out.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm delightful and beautiful," he replied in that same sing-song tone.

"Yes, you are, so let's go swimming," she said, though she stopped after she kicked her shoes off. "That _is_ what you wanted to do, right?"

He grinned impishly. "Well, that is what I said," he said, kicking off his own shoes as he pulled his shirt over his head. "So that must be what I meant."

She shook her head at him and followed suit. "Su-ure it is."

He couldn't help but grin at her in her suit before he teleported over to her and stole a kiss, teleporting once more so that they were standing ankle-deep in the water. "Oh look," he said, though he didn't let her go, "we're in the water."

"Is that your way of saying you don't want to mess up your hair?" she teased before she reached up and ruffled it a little. "I know you've been spending more time on it."

"Oh, I don't mind getting it messed up," he replied before he gave her another quick kiss. "But it's nice to be noticed."

And while Kaleb and Melody were being ridiculous, Tristan found his way over to Celeste, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head. "Your sister is _highly_ entertained, and it's giving me a headache," he said. "And, uh, I was helping Logan on the bike again, so… he knows."

"You _told him_?" Celeste said, looking as if it was the highest form of betrayal.

"He asked why I was distracted, and I wasn't going to lie to him!" Tristan defended. "And she's totally projecting all over the place. To you, I'm assuming."

"Yeah, you can't lie to him anyhow," Celeste replied, arms crossed and pouting. "And yes. It was for me. Eavesdropper."

"You two really need to work on keeping other people out of your conversations, then, because I can hear it, and I'm not even that trained," Tristan pointed out.

She stared at him, mouth open for a moment. "That's … _ugh._ "

"Hey, don't kill the messenger," Tristan said, holding his hands up with an expression that looked exactly like his dad.

"No, no," she said, letting her shoulders drop. "I'm glad you told me, really. Because if _you_ could hear it when it was for her, then that means Mom's been listening in the whole time too. And we are _so_ grounded."

"Very likely," Tristan agreed, shaking his head with a little smile. "You know, she and Kaleb are really ridiculous together. They like flirting more than they like each other."

"Yeah, it's like a sport," Celeste agreed. "Have you seen him, though? He flirts with everyone."

"He does," Tristan said with a little laugh. "What about you? Are you interested? I mean, your sister likes the attention, but…"

"Not in Kaleb," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, who, then?"

She smiled to herself and shrugged up one shoulder. "Nevermind."

"Hey, maybe I can help," Tristan said. "I mean, I can't date for another couple years, so I'm living vicariously," he teased.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, and that's a shame too. There are a few girls looking."

"Yeah, I know," Tristan said, blushing pink. "Some of them … project."

She winced and put a hand on his shoulder. "They really do. I'm sorry."

"Hey, I've heard what some boys project to you when we have the big multi-school get togethers - you two have it harder," Tristan pointed out. "Some boys are just creeps. Sorry. On behalf of my whole gender," he added with a sheepish smile.

"Not your fault," she said, smiling warmly. "You're like… one of the best-case scenarios. No need to apologize for trolls."

"And you're sweet," Tristan said, blushing slightly.

She drew in a deep breath and held it. "Actually … I kinda … sorta … wanted to find out … if … you know if anyone liked me - in a non-creepy way."

Tristan tipped his head to the side as he considered the question. "Well, I mean, there's a lot of guys who think you're cute, but if you're looking for more than just attracted to you…." He shrugged. "I know at least one person, anyway. But I don't know that I should say… it's kind of private, you know?"

She nodded. "I know," she said, looking totally put out. "Believe me, I know."

"I mean…" Tristan watched her frown and bit his lip. "If _you_ have someone you're interested in… maybe I could tell you if you have a shot? But I won't give you a list. That feels wrong."

She weighed it out. "Alright … but … if it's a no, you have to swear to keep it to yourself."

Tristan held up the scout's sign. "Scout's honor."

She closed one eye and shrugged her shoulders up to her ears. "Um … _Jayce?_ Maybe."

Tristan actually broke into a little laugh. "Oh, you haven't figured that out yet?" he asked. "He definitely likes you — are you kidding?"

She looked completely shocked. "No. I am not."

"Well, he must have some natural psychic shielding from his dad. Peter Quill's hard to read when he wants to be, even if he's totally open most of the time," Tristan reasoned. "But yeah, if you wanted to ask him out, he'd say yes. You'd shock him flat on his back, but he'd get back up and agree to a date."

She shrugged again. "Well … I mean. Are you sure he wouldn't think it was weird? You know … his mom … and my mom … they're almost like sisters …"

"I mean, if we banned everyone who is 'like family' from dating, I don't think anyone here would be allowed to date each other," Tristan pointed out. "Besides, I don't think that counts when you're not genetically related."

"True." She bit her lip and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"He's not really… ready to ask you out, if you want the truth of it," Tristan said.

"Well if he doesn't want to date …"

"He's just never done it before," Tristan said. "And… to be honest, I think we sort of figured we'd double date when I turned sixteen." He leaned forward. "But if you want to date him, he'd say yes. I won't stop you."

"Are you like … _sure_ sure, though? Because I haven't really dated anyone either."

"Gotta start somewhere, right?" Tristan pointed out. "I figure start with one date. Just the one. And then you can figure out if you want another, right?"

"You really have your game plan figured out, don't you?"

Tristan shrugged. "Hey, I've known since I was a kid what the deal was. Don't date 'til sixteen, and don't get _too involved_ until marriage… it's nice to have it figured out ahead of time sometimes."

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said, though she looked like she was a little nervous now. "Okay. Thanks, Tris."

He grinned and leaned over to wrap her up in a hug. "You don't have to ask him out. You can wait for him to catch up if you don't like the idea of being the one to ask."

"No, I just don't want to end up like Elin and Chance being stupid and missing the shot for like … ever. Oh my God."

"Yeah, thankfully I was here for the latter end of that, but I heard all the stories from Rachel and Bobby."

"It was like watching a slow motion train wreck. For _years._ "

"And now she's Mrs. Summers and he's Mr. Howlett. That's how that works, right?" Tristan asked with a smirk.

She laughed. "Sure looks like it, right?"

"They're hilarious together. Every time he walks by, I can _hear_ him preening," Tristan said. "I mean, she's riding pretty high, but he's _loud_ about it. Mentally speaking. And… sometimes out loud too," he added with a little laugh.

"Oh, all the time out loud," Celeste agreed as they headed back to the house. "Wait until Grampa Wolvie teaches you about body language. He's screaming."

"Well, he's got every reason to," Tristan pointed out. "Besides, your brother will be pretty much the same way soon." He leaned forward with a smirk. "I've heard the two of them — did you set them both up to propose when they go to the South Pacific or was that something they did on their own?"

She smirked wider. "We just … nudged. A little."

"You totally set them up," Tristan said.

" _No_ ," she insisted. "We just … pointed out the flaws in both of their plans."

"Uh-huh. And when they both get to the island with rings in hand... "

"It'll be a Christmas miracle — or something!" She did a huge 'presentation' pose with a grin. "We'll all be amazed. And shocked. Very, very shocked."

"Uh-huh." Tristan couldn't help but laugh at her. "You're going to get busted."

"Yeah, I probably already am if Mom's been listening."

"Your mom wants them to get married pronto too, though," Tristan pointed out.

"Yeah, but she'll just wait until they go to the island then bust us," she said. "Mark my words. Wolvie'll add on more running to whatever he has planned for us already."

"Maybe I could go with you," Tristan offered.

"What? To try to ease the busting or to run with us — because that's what will happen either way."

"Well, Dad said that he did a lot with Logan when he was figuring out his powers, and I mean, I appreciate your mom and everything, but I've really been enjoying the dirt bikes he found for me and Jayce…"

"You're welcome to try," she said as she gestured to the garage in the not-so far off distance.

"Maybe I will," he said, drawing up his shoulders to walk a little more confidently with her.

When they got to the garage, Logan barely glanced up at Celeste with one eyebrow raised. "A week," he said, not stopping what he was doing in the least. "Unless there's more you need to tell me."

Celeste's shoulders dropped, but she quickly shook her head. "No, no, Tristan let me in on how very, very busted we are."

He let out a little noise from the back of his throat with a nod. "Won't start right away, though."

Celeste tipped her head to the side with one eye half closed before she let out a little 'ah'. "Right, because of the baby. She is going to be _amazing_ ," she said, genuinely excited about it — especially because she and Melody had a bet as to whether it would be a boy or a girl, and Celeste was sure _she_ was right about it.

Logan smirked to himself. "So you're in that camp, are ya? Didn't realize the teeny boppers had opinions on the matter."

"Are you kidding?" Celeste giggled. "Me and Mom would like to see you take over the world with an army of girls!"

He had to chuckle at that. "You and your mother are touched. And K would strangle me."

"Yeah, but there'd still be an army," Celeste laughed.

He finally stopped wrenching on the dirt bike to look up at her with a troublemaking look. "What makes you think we'd _need_ an army?"

Tristan started to giggle at that. "He's got you there."

"Let your sister know," Logan said, still shaking his head. "I'll tell you when you need to lace up — and if there'll be more than a week by that time."

"Would it be okay if I came too?" Tristan asked.

Logan frowned for a moment but nodded. "Don't get many volunteers. We meet up at six — James goes every morning with me."

"Okay, I can do that if you run before the school year, but I have seminary in the mornings once school starts," Tristan nodded.

Logan smirked. "I'm sure if it's an issue and you wanna do it, we can get there earlier."

Tristan looked over at Celeste, who looked like she had been totally betrayed, and then bit his lip. "It's just that ... Dad said you helped him when he was a teenager. To hone his powers, you know?"

"Not much for telepathy," Logan said.

"Yeah, but — I'd still like to — you know — maybe learn more than just my powers…"

"What do you want to learn?" Logan asked, sitting more upright instead of hunched over the motor.

"Well, I'm not much of a fighter, but Dad said you did some meditating?"

"Did that because he needed to keep a handle on his emotions."

"It might help with telepathy," Celeste said, picking up on Tristan's desire to spend more time with Logan and trying to help. "I mean, it's all about focus, right?"

Logan's gaze locked onto her in an instant. "Does that mean it might help you get out of your sister's head for ten minutes?"

"Dating Jayce might help with that problem," Tristan muttered under his breath, earning another betrayed look from Celeste.

"Oh, come on," Logan said in a grumble, one hand covering his face as he shook his head.

"What, can't we date?" Celeste asked with her arms crossed.

"You're like … five." He still hadn't moved his hand.

"I'm fourteen," she said, moving her hands to her hips and looking just like her mom, but with white hair.

"Don't look at me like that," Logan said, still … not looking her way at all. "Never worked for your mother — won't work for you either."

"I'm old enough to date, Grampa Wolvie. And besides, Melody's the one kissing Kaleb!"

"You're both trouble," he said. "And young."

"Can't help it," Celeste said. "On either front."

"So, uh, maybe we can do some meditating after seminary when school starts?" Tristan asked, trying to get the conversation off of dating.

Logan let out a sigh and turned back to Tristan. "I usually do that after the combat class is over."

Tristan nodded. "Okay, that'll work for me too," he said. "I just thought maybe it was early. Start the day off right or something."

"No," Logan said, shaking his head. "I run, clean up, and have coffee with K."

"Okay, well… I'll see you after combat class, then?" Tristan asked hopefully.

"Probably," Logan said.

"Great — thanks!" Tristan said, grabbing Celeste by the hand to go inside before she could get in any more trouble with her grandfather.


	4. Baby Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EVEN MORE FLUFF

K had more or less retreated to the suite after Elin and Chance's wedding. She had been avoiding people before then, and the whole big family thing was a lot harder to deal with for her than she'd let on. For the kids' sake, she wasn't about to say a word while they were all riding high, instead keeping it on the down low and then doing her best to vanish after the fact.

But even _her_ best laid plans had flaws. And Annie was proving to be a big one.

Logan knew when to back off and give her space without so much as a word. Especially after she'd gone around with him briefly before the wedding when he'd been lost in his own thoughts too much. But now, he was back to himself, and he seemed to have an extra sense for when she wanted him back, too, which was very handy when she was feeling like crap and didn't want to even send a text.

But Annie's extra sense seemed to be more on a timer … and since they'd announced that they were having another little one, Annie had taken it as a personal challenge to keep K in good condition. She had been sure to find Mrs. Howlett even in the earlier stages of the pregnancy to give her a cup of tea — always with something to nibble on — or God forbid K miss a meal — that … that was an even bigger insult than any other time.

And it was because of Annie's good intentions and determined drive to keep K doing well that K had not argued with her once during the whole pregnancy. It was easy enough to see the stress on the woman's features — especially in her eyes — when she thought that K was having trouble, and she was sure that Annie had been far more upset than she'd let on with a couple of the previous pregnancies K had gone through. So she decided to try it her way and play along — just to make sure that Annie could relax a little bit.

She was pretty sure that, at this point, it was the best way to keep the peace anyhow.

But she'd been careful to keep away from everyone after the wedding. She'd only danced with Logan twice — slow and close — and she'd managed to give Chance a kiss on the cheek — and a huge hug for Elin … but that was it. And she was really worn from the high emotions that had been going on.

No one but Logan and Annie really got to see her even halfway regularly, and even though a few would drop in … it was crystal clear to K who needed to be there when it all finally started.

But like any other time that she'd gone into labor, it began in the dead of night. And like the last three, Logan was the one to pick up on it first — and keep close watch over her until he was sure that it was time to get Hank involved.

It was by sheer _luck_ that they passed Annie in the kitchen at three AM when she was up for a cup of tea to try to relax enough to get back to bed after she'd woken up and couldn't get comfortable.

"Don't let us bother you; enjoy your tea," K said, though Logan gave her a little wink.

"You know where we'll be," Logan said. "Shouldn't be too long, if you're still awake."

Annie's eyes went wide, and she clapped her hands together under her chin. "Oh, if you don't mind," she said, though it was obvious she was just trying to be polite, already excitedly following them.

"Come on," K said. "You know I won't tell you no."

Although Hank wasn't exactly waiting for them, he had been sure to stick around the mansion for as close as they were — not wanting to miss K and have her waiting on him, anxious as she always was when she had to go to the lab. And like before, she looked ready to bolt when Hank approached with the collar, flinching in spite of herself when it snapped shut and turned on.

But from there, it was quick … and Hank worked fast, positively delighted when he handed the angry little one over to Logan, who honestly looked like you could knock him over with a feather when he announced delightedly 'it's a boy'. Logan hadn't said more than a very soft 'hey' to the little one before he took a seat next to K while Hank finished up, and the two of them met the bright-eyed baby for the first time together.

As soon as Henry was done, K was quick to wrench the collar off, then half fold over on herself for a solid ten minutes while her healing went into overdrive. But as soon as she looked as if the shakiness had passed, Logan handed her their newborn and then looked up for Annie. "You should come say hello," he told her.

Annie smiled lightly as she made her way over. "Hello," she said, her eyes shining as she looked down at the little baby in K's arms.

K gave her a quiet smile. "Want to hold him?"

"Oh, please," Annie said, the smile stretching even wider, though she paused and looked up at K. "Are you sure you've had enough time yourself, though?"

"I'll get more, and I'm still a little dizzy, if I'm being honest," K said.

Annie nodded and reached over to lightly squeeze K's arm before she gently took the little boy and positively melted on the spot. "Oh, he's wonderful," she said.

"Thought you should be the first of the extended family to say hello," K said. "So … even though I'm sorry you weren't sleeping well … I am glad you were around."

Annie smiled at that. "So am I," she said. "I'll take a little bit of a sore neck if it means I get to meet this little bundle of joy."

"We don't want you being miserable," Logan told her. "Where does it hurt?"

Annie shook her head lightly. "It's just a crick in my neck."

"So … do you want him to fix it?" K asked. "Or try to? Or are you enjoying neck rubs from Mr. Brown Eyes and don't want to fiddle with it?"

Annie smiled wider. "Yes," she said, nodding seriously. "Yes, I am."

Logan chuckled at her and sat down next to K to wrap her up one-armed and kiss the side of her head. "Troublemaker."

Annie just smiled down at the little boy until she finally looked up again. "Oh, I never asked," she said. "What is his name?"

K looked up at Logan, one eyebrow raised, and he only paused long enough to weigh it out for a moment or two. "John," he said — and got a very careful kiss from K.

"Perfect," K agreed, nodding to herself.

"He's wonderful," Annie said, carefully standing to hand him back to Logan.

"We're going to sleep in, I think," K said. "You should too."

"We'll be late to coffee anyhow," Logan said. "Seeing as I know if we don't show up for that much, Scott will come looking."

"He'll be thrilled to meet John," Annie assured him, squeezing his arm. "He's absolutely beautiful."

"Of course he is," K said with a little smile. "He looks like his dad."

"Oh, there will be three of you now," Annie said in a pretended tone of alarm.

"Still outnumbered by the girls," Logan pointed out.

"As it should be," Annie teased. "With Hope and Rachel's girls, we have the advantage too."

"To be fair, we'd be outnumbered if it was three of us and one of her," Logan said, tipping his head to K.

Annie smiled at that and then stretched as she headed for the door. "Your kids are going to be so excited to meet him."

"Yeah, pretty sure all of 'em lost money on it," Logan said as K tried standing up and stretching herself.

"They'll love him all the same," Annie assured him. "See you both tomorrow — or, well, see all three of you tomorrow!" She couldn't help but laugh happily. "Good night!"

* * *

The next morning, as it turned out, K and Logan were slightly wrong — they were late to coffee, but not by too much, and most of the house wasn't quite awake when they showed up with little John to wake up slowly and do their usual sort of nonchalant announcement.

Of course, Annie and Scott were already there when they showed up — and it took Scott no time at all to say his hello, though Annie had to laugh when he wouldn't hand the little boy over to her right away. "Hey. You got to hold him already," Scott teased. "Don't be greedy, Grannie Annie."

Annie laughed at him as she settled her chin on his shoulder and smiled down at the boy in Scott's arms. Though for as beautiful a picture as that was, the look on Kurt's face when he came down with a still-sleepy Chelsea was something else entirely — his tail still behind him as a slow grin spread over his face.

"Hi, Dad," K called out as she leaned into Logan. "Brought you another little _boy_ to spoil rotten."

Kurt's grin kept widening as he came over to sit beside Annie, looking over her shoulder — as Chelsea too looked curious and leaned over to see John, giggling and babbling to him and clapping her hand against her palm to 'wave'.

"What did you name him?" Kurt asked, smiling widely still.

"John," Logan said.

"For Logan's dad," K added, smiling a little wider.

" _Perfekt_ ," Kurt declared as Annie started to laugh and gestured for Kurt to take a turn.

"I'll take Chelsea for a moment," she said.

Scott looked up at Kurt for a long moment before he finally, very gently, handed off the tiny boy, and Kurt beamed down at him. "Hello, John," he said with a smile. "Welcome to the world."

"What do you think, Kurt? I think he's favoring his dad already," K said. "Got the whole troublemaking look to him down pat."

Kurt chuckled. "I think you're in trouble with this one," he teased.

"Like we're not with the others?" Logan said.

"It's a family trait," Kurt said, still smiling as Chelsea tried to climb out of Annie's arms to say hello.

"Pa-a-a-a-pa," Chelsea whined until he finally leaned over enough for her to see, and then she was right back to babbling as she kissed John's head and started giggling.

"Keeping that tradition alive, I see," Scott said with a smirk.

"I spy with my little eye _two_ possible traditions in play," K said low from behind her mug.

Kurt chuckled, especially when Chelsea started babbling excitedly at K, wriggling out of Annie's arms so she could take the few steps over to K's seat and pat her stomach. She didn't have more than a couple words yet, but the babbling was easy enough to figure out; she was excited and a little concerned about where K's big baby belly had gone.

But K scooped her up and peppered her with kisses and tickles until she seemed to lose some of that concerned look, then K wrapped her up in a snuggle and tried to explain in small kid terms about John, sure to point out that they were both fine.

"Oh my gosh. How long has this been going on?" Kate asked as she finally came downstairs, looking tired from Chelsea's early wakeup call but too thrilled to care about that in the moment.

"He got here around … oh. Four-ish," K said.

Kate started to giggle as she rushed over to rest her head on Kurt's shoulder. "Oh, there is nothing about this I don't love," she said. "Gimme."

"You can wait your turn, love," Kurt laughed — though it seemed Chelsea was on his side, too, because she started up with "mamamamama" until Kate picked her up, so Kate had her own baby to spoil instead.

It wasn't long after they settled out, and Chelsea got distracted with some toy cars, that Elin and Chance came in, and she stopped in the doorway and simply smiled at her parents before she made her way over to give them both a hug and a kiss. "You're not looking for sitters already, are you?" Elin asked, but Annie was already holding up a hand.

"Mine," she said.

Chance chuckled at that. "Come on, Mom — we don't get a turn?"

"Special privileges," Logan said.

"Yeah. In this case, godmother trumps brother-in-law," K agreed before she looked to Annie. "Unless you don't want the job."

"Oh, I definitely want it," Annie said in a voice choked with emotion.

"But you can certainly say hello," Kurt said with a smile as he laid John into Elin's arms.

"Oh, alright then," Elin said as she walked over to sit next to her dad, who leaned over to whisper the name to her — getting a wide smile as she nodded her head in agreement. "Hi, John. I'm your favorite sister, I'll have you know. The other two are alright, but … I've got you."

Chance grinned as he rested his chin on her shoulder, a lot like Annie had done to Scott earlier. "He's gorgeous, Mom," he said, smiling up at K.

"I tend to agree," K said. "But I might be a titch biased." She waved him onward. "Go ahead and say hello yourself."

Elin looked up at him and shifted to offer him the little boy. "He's super light."

Chance smiled and gently took the little guy into his arms, the grin threatening to break his face as he readjusted the way he was holding him. "He's just like the other kids, that's all — you're all tiny to start," he said, leaning in to kiss John's forehead with a look of adoration.

"Oh _hell_ , he's got his dad's baby face," K said quietly to Kate.

"You didn't get that from the day he met Elin and started calling her 'pwetty baby'?" Kate whispered right back.

K burst out laughing but covered her mouth with one hand. "Just a little more obvious now, that's all," she defended between laughs.

Kate started giggling, but she leaned in close so that she couldn't be overheard as she whispered, "Hope you're ready to be Grammy K all over again."

"Oh, it's an eventuality for sure, but I think it'll be on her schedule," K said.

"She is your daughter," Kate laughed.

"She is … so it could be any time or she could wait another hundred years first. Who knows?"

"Oh, I don't know. Can she resist the baby face that long? A hundred years means he doesn't get to do that with his own," Kate pointed out.

"It's not the baby face that does you in," K argued. "It's _the look._ "

While the two of them were arguing the finer points of what was the actual point of trouble, James came down to get his coffee and paused, much as Elin had done, before he came over to give his mother a kiss first and foremost. "Did he go with the name? Or …"

"He went with the name," K agreed. "See if you can pry him from 'Baby Face Summers' Revenge' and say hello."

Chance shook his head at that and tipped his head to little John. "She's being ridiculous," he said as John started to squirm a bit, waking up fussy.

"Yeah, sure," James said. "And you pissed him off before you hand him over. Nice."

"He woke up like this; must have been you," Chance shot back, though he handed the little guy off all the same.

James was still chuckling at him as he settled the little boy in his arms and started to walk toward his mother, though before he got there, John was already settled out and staring at James. "Okay then."

Kate started giggling. "Oh my gosh; that's genetic too!"

"What are you _talking about_?" James asked, frowning her way.

Kate grinned over at Logan. "Baby whisperer."

Logan met her gaze but was smirking crookedly back. "Shut up. Total coincidence. Don't tease the boy."

"Baby. Whisperer," Kate insisted, grinning even wider.

"Knock it off," Logan said as John gave a great, hitching yawn and snuggled into James, drifting off.

Kate fluttered her eyelashes at him and then simply smirked and picked up Chelsea to put her in Logan's lap — immediately earning a giggle and a hug from the little girl as Kate gestured grandly as if this was all the argument she needed to make.

"You're ridiculous, and she'd do that to anyone here," Logan argued.

"Uh-huh," Kate said, grinning as she headed over to get some coffee and the other Wagners made their way down.

Kari quickly took out her phone and snapped a picture of James and John with a wide grin that showed her pointed teeth. "That's so amazing!"

"Oh, come on," James said.

"I'm drawing it. And framing it. I'm calling it 'Brotherly Love'," Kari insisted, grinning even wider.

"The bamfs filled you in," Elin said, nodding approvingly.

"They said there was lots of baby snuggling going on," Kade said, rushing over to give Elin a hug. "And that we could get hugs too if we hurried."

"His name is John — so, you know, if you were hoping for a boy …" She squeezed Kade a little tighter. "There is going to be one more little boy to play with."

"Oh good, because there's a _lot_ of girls," Kade said, scrunching up his nose.

"Not that I'm complaining," Kaleb said with an easy smile as he headed for the coffee.

"Oh, of course not," Sadie said as she and Malin stepped in. "He's cuter than you, though, Kaleb."

"You're terribly biased," Kaleb said, shaking his head at her.

"Doesn't mean I'm wrong," she sang out.

"Well, how to compete with an hours-old baby? That's not fair at all," he pointed out.

"You're just outclassed, sweet Elf," she replied in a singsong tone. "I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"Ef ef ef ef ef," Chelsea sang out happily, giggling, and Kaleb shook his head and picked her up to tickle her.

"Stop siding with Sadie," he told her sternly, though she giggled, hugged him as tightly as she was able, and kissed him on the cheek, so it didn't work very well.

James finished his trek to his mother and gently handed John back to her. "I think you're right. He looks more like Dad. Next up will be bets on the eyes."

She gave him a quick kiss and stood up, with Logan a step behind her. "You guys try not to cause too much trouble, what with the baby picking back and forth. I'm taking this one upstairs."


	5. Did You Ask Permission?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kurt dies of fluff-surprise.

It was the last weekend before school started for the fall, and as planned, Krissy and Sying were headed to an island in the South Pacific for Krissy's birthday.

Both of them had their own plans for how this was going to go. Krissy had a gorgeous band of white gold with emeralds set into the center, and Sying had a beautiful silver ring that sparkled with a setting surrounding a deep, deep purple stone that came from Hala itself — almost exactly the same shade as Krissy's fur.

Sying was pretty proud of himself for the find for Krissy's ring. At the time, it had just been something pretty to bring home after the last visit he'd gone to Hala with his dad for official reasons. But now, it was the perfect centerpiece to a beautiful ring, and he couldn't wait to see Krissy's face when she saw it.

The best part was that the silver was laced with a Kree metal that would hum like his mom's ring did, so he really was tickled about it.

When the two of them got down to the island, both of them were nervous. They both had their hands in their pockets and were glancing up at each other all the time, almost convulsively, even as they got set up with the bungalow they would be staying at for the weekend.

Krissy glanced up at Sying for a moment, but just as she opened her mouth — not that she was sure what she would say, but she knew she wanted to at least say something to break the silence that had descended between them — Sying rushed over and scooped her up.

"What do you say to a swim?" he asked as she grinned at him and rearranged her arms around his neck.

"I say that sounds wonderful," Krissy said, then gave him a peck on the cheek.

He grinned and didn't bother to put her down as he quickly rushed off with her into the water, and in turn, she kept a tight hold on his shoulders so that she was able to pull him with her when they hit the water.

They were both soaked in the waves as Sying pressed a kiss to Krissy's mouth, wrapping her up tightly and sliding his hands up to slip off her shirt. She grinned at him and helped him to get it off, then had to grab onto him a little tighter when a wave hit them both, and she just started to laugh.

"You just want to excuse for me to hang on," she teased him.

"Um, yes," he agreed, still grinning at her as he grabbed his own shirt and pulled it over his head, playfully throwing it at her so that it hit her in the face, and she couldn't help but giggle as she yanked the shirt away, meaning to throw it right back into his face.

But Sying was quicker than she was — and he'd meant to use the shirt as a distraction so she couldn't see what he was up to until she pulled the shirt away and he had the ring box out with a huge grin.

Krissy stopped. "What—"

But Sying beat her to it before she could get the question out. "What do you say? You want to get married?"

"Umm, _yes_. Obviously," Krissy said, only waiting long enough for Sying to slip the ring onto her finger before she tackled him into the waves with a kiss.

Sying was grinning as they kissed in the waves, for the moment not caring about anything else in the world but the two of them, though at some point, Krissy did teleport them out of the waves when a particularly big one nearly knocked them over.

Finally, Krissy grinned up at Sying, still with her arms hooked around his shoulders. "I have one for you too," she said.

"What?"

"A ring." She smiled up at him as if it was perfectly obvious, and he started to shake his head, laughing at her before he gently kissed her with his hands in her hair.

"You couldn't wait for me?" he teased.

"Uh, no. You know how patient I am," she pointed out. "And besides, we've waited _this_ long…"

Sying shook his head at her and pulled her into another long kiss. "Sorry to make you wait."

Krissy laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck to get a little more involved. "That's alright," she assured him. "I'm just glad you're finally catching up."

He laughed as he slid his hands up her back. "Finally?"

"Well, Chance and Elin were married _weeks_ ago…"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to propose the very second they got back so you could tell your bestie _fresh off her honeymoon_ instead of waiting for your birthday—"

"Oh, shut up," Krissy laughed, wrapping him up in another involved kiss that lasted for a good long while as she stood on his toes and he started to walk her back toward the bungalow.

* * *

And while Krissy and Sying were off on their island getaway, the weekend before school started was also marked by students coming back — and a few other visitors, like Kitty and Peter Quill as well as Tyler and Tammy, since Jayce and Tristan were still in Westchester for school. Even Pepper Potts was there — Howard had transferred from Chicago, to Kitty's disappointment, to be close to his family.

Tristan had been gushing to his dad about all of the work on the dirt bikes and meditating he'd done with Logan almost as soon as Tyler arrived, and Tyler had Lacy on his shoulders as he nodded along to everything Tristan was saying.

"Yeah, I remember how meditation went," he agreed. "Best part of the day half the time, getting some peace and quiet."

"I love it!" Tristan said. "And it definitely helps keep things quiet when there's more telepaths at the school during the year."

"Melody and Celeste giving you a hard time again?" Tyler teased.

Tristan just laughed and shrugged. "They're just loud," he said. "They're working on it."

Tyler smirked and ruffled Tristan's hair, though when Lacy saw K, she all but climbed down Tyler's side to rush over and hug her and show her that her hair was in a braid. "Look! Mommy did it! It's so pretty!" she gushed.

"It really is," K agreed after she crouched down and gave Lacy a hug. "If you're staying for a few days, maybe I can braid it for you too."

"Pretty please!" Lacy giggled.

"Sometimes she likes to do it herself, don't you sweetie?" Tammy said with a smile as she caught up to the rest of the family.

K gave Tammy a little smile as she picked up Lacy and balanced her on her hip. "Have you learned how to make daisy chains and crowns yet?"

Lacy giggled and shook her head. "No, but I can color flowers!" she said. "They're pretty."

"Well it's about time, isn't it? I made a daisy crown for my horse the other day … just so he'd be pretty when we went for a ride."

"Can I make one too?" Lacy asked, her eyes wide.

K nodded and touched foreheads with her. "You sure can. I'll teach you how a little later. Promise. We might even take a little ride if you're up to it."

"Can I, Dad? Please?" Lacy asked.

"Of course you can," Tyler said.

"Like you'd say no, Kitten Whiskers," K teased as she set Lacy down again.

Tyler shrugged. "What can I say? I grew up in farm country."

K nodded. "If you want to meet John, Logan's got him — half asleep at the kitchen table."

Tristan grinned and seized Tyler's arm. "You so have to meet him," he said, shooting a grin K's way as Tyler let his son lead him on until they got to where Logan was curled up with the little guy.

"Ty," Logan rumbled out. "Didn't expect you to be around this quick."

"Had to see Tris before the semester started," Tyler said. "Got time off from the clinic and everything."

Logan nodded to himself and tipped his head for Tyler to find a chair. "Bout the same as always around here."

"Not quite the same," Tyler chuckled. "I saw the redheaded Hawkeye running around when I got here. When did she start that?"

"Running around or bein' a Hawkeye?"

"Both," Tyler smirked.

"Prolly about the same time, if you go by those God-awful purple bandages."

"Makes 'em easy to spot," Tyler said with a smirk.

Logan chuckled and shook his head as he sat up straighter. "You can ask, you know," he said before he shifted to hand John over to Tyler.

Tyler was very careful as he took the little guy, unable to stop the grin. "He's still so small," he said. "You two don't make 'em big, do you?"

Logan gestured to himself. "Doesn't seem real likely."

"James is really tall," Tristan said as he hopped into a seat.

"Started out about the same as this one, though," Logan pointed out.

"So he'll be tall too," Tyler said with a smirk.

"Who knows," Logan said before he tipped his chin up. "Whatcha think? Keeper?"

Tyler chuckled and brushed the thin hair on John's head with one finger. "I think he looks like you… except he's got his mom's expressions already. Look at that eyebrow," he said with a rumbling little laugh.

"Sign of trouble if ever there was one," Logan said.

"He'll be calling me Whiskers by the time he's a year old," Tyler laughed.

"Hopefully he'll be callin' you something else," Logan said.

"I dunno; I'm attached now," Tyler smirked.

"Good," Logan said. "I wanted to ask if you'd be interested to step up as godfather for him."

Tyler stared at Logan openly, his mouth slightly parted, before he seemed to recover slightly and swallowed, nodding quietly. "Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, of course. Yeah."

"Glad to hear it," Logan said before he leaned back in his chair. "Started doing the math and realized, out of the guys available, you're the most reliable for the task at hand."

Tyler paused as he considered it and then nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said. "Tammy's getting to the point she's mad at the lack of gray too."

Logan nodded at that. "Everyone keeps reminding me that they're getting older. In the meantime … here I am…"

"Yeah… try not to think about it," Tyler said with almost a wince.

"Hard not to when I have Kate doing a countdown to my birthday," Logan said.

"Oh yeah, I heard about the big one-fifty," Tyler said with a smirk.

"Never paid much attention to it before," Logan told him.

"You'll have to give me advice when I get further in, then," Tyler said. "Because I'm already done aging, and Tammy isn't."

Logan shrugged and let out a sigh. "I can only tell you what I've told my own kids. This is new for me. I always kept moving and didn't really have the connections. Just gotta take care of 'em and love 'em even knowin' you'll probably see them out."

"Does it get easier?" Tyler asked.

"Not even a little," Logan told him.

Tyler nodded as he sat down with John next to Logan. "Well, don't go anywhere."

"Don't plan on it," Logan replied.

"Good, because Dad thinks you're awesome," Tristan said with a crooked smile that had Tyler playfully hitting him in the shoulder and shaking his head at him.

"Yeah, he mighta mentioned that in passin' once upon a time," Logan said.

"Not many people to give life advice," Tyler pointed out with a smirk.

"It's hard bein' right all the time. I've learned to adjust."

Tyler shook his head at that as John let out a little yawn. "Uh-huh," he said, turning his attention back to the little one.

"Annie's got the godmother title, so you're in good company," Logan said after he'd settled in.

At that, Tyler broke into a broad smile. "Hey, that's perfect!" He grinned down at John. "You are going to be so, _so_ spoiled. I'm not even sorry," he told the little guy.

* * *

Elin and Chance had taken over the barn chores for K since they'd gotten back from their honeymoon, and it wasn't exactly any kind of an inconvenience considering that both of them loved to ride — and loved to spoil the horses. And … of course, the barn was the perfect spot for stolen kisses and getting carried away. They'd just left the barn — dusty and grinning with hay poking out of their hair and sticking to their clothes after the little trail ride they'd taken. The ride was the same as it had always been … the two of them started and ended it in a race, but once the horses were put up, they got to laughing in the hay loft … and honestly … after the hot ride and the fooling around, they were looking forward to cleaning up with more tomfoolery.

They were hand in hand, grinning widely all the way back up to the house. They ignored the commentary from Chance's brother in favor of slipping up the stairs, but they hadn't quite gotten to their room when they heard a familiar sort of muted _bamf_ from the other side of the door.

"I guess we lost the race we didn't know we were running," Elin said to Chance before she knocked on their door.

"Sounds like," Chance chuckled with her hand in his.

"Is it safe to come in?" she called out. "Or should we come back?"

"It's _your_ room," Krissy called back.

"Yeah, but _you're_ in it," Elin said. "And you're not alone. So I have _concerns_."

"Oh, get in here, you lunatics," Krissy said, as both she and Sying were heard laughing at the situation.

She opened the door but immediately covered her eyes and reached out with her free hand. "I'm scared," Elin said quietly.

"You're safe," Chance whispered back. "Everyone's fully clothed. I took the risk for you. Because I love you."

"My hero," she said with a grin before she carefully peeked between her fingers and let out a dramatic breath. "Oh good. You're not … um… _dead_."

Sying laughed and shook his head before he rushed over to her and spun her in a hug. "No, but we are engaged," he told her.

"Congratulations," she said with a grin before she kissed him on the cheek. He'd barely let her go before she turned Krissy's way and for once turned the tables on her — pouncing at her in a tackle and wrapping her arms and legs around her. "You too."

Krissy laughed delightedly as she returned the hug in force. "We talked about it while we were out, and we want you to be our Halloween maid of honor. You'll have to wear a sword and a pirate hat, obviously. We're getting married on a dock."

"Oh, obviously," Elin said, nodding. "Dress, pirate garb, or a Victor/Victoria situation?" she teased.

"We'll have dresses and suits, but everyone needs a rapier and hat," Sying said.

"It's a balance," Krissy said with a smile.

"Of course it is," she agreed, though she hadn't let Krissy go yet and instead snuggled in a little bit.

Chance, meanwhile, had made it a point to wrap Sying in a hug. "So, who proposed to whom?" he had to ask.

"The answer is yes," Krissy said from the floor.

Chance grinned at that. "Thought so," he said, holding out one hand in a 'gimme' gesture until Sying showed off the ring. "Nice pick, Krissy. But you're going to have to swear to your dad that you didn't elope or you're going to get murdered when he sees you _both_ in rings."

"He'll figure it out when we ask him to do the ceremony," Sying said.

"Brave," Chance chuckled.

"He's all softened up right now anyhow," Elin pointed out. "He's still on a baby high."

"Of course he is," Krissy said with a smirk. "Mom didn't let him share Chelsea as much as he wanted to."

"Well, Mom and Dad are totally sharing John with him. Even if he didn't get the godfather title he was _sure_ was in the bag," Elin told her. "He couldn't even be mad, though."

"Who got it, then?" Krissy asked.

"Tyler," Chance said with a grin. "Thought he was going to break his face the whole weekend he was here. You just missed him."

"It was Dad's idea, too," Elin told him when she finally let Krissy go to get up.

"That'll have him grinning for a year at least," Sying said before he turned to Chance. "You and James have to be groomsmen with Kaleb and Ael, of course."

"Yeah, for sure," Chance said quickly.

"And we're going to have Kade and Chelsea be flower girl and ringbearer," Krissy explained. "Because Kade wants it so. So badly."

"Oh good," Elin said. "He wasn't really talking to me for a few days there."

"Dramatic Elfling," Chance whispered to her with a smirk. "You should've known."

Sying and Krissy shared a little smirk when they saw Chance whispering in Elin's hair. "We'll get out of your way," he said.

"We just wanted you to be the first to know," Krissy said.

"Okay, bye," Elin said, not even trying to argue it.

Krissy giggled and she teleported away with Sying — reappearing in the Lee-Varr suite next, since they knew as soon as they hit the Wagners' suite, it would be all over for keeping secrets when the bamfs knew.

"You … are both projecting," Jubilee said without looking up at them right away. "But I'm gonna need to hear it from your little mouths myself."

Sying and Krissy grinned at each other, and Krissy tipped her head to Sying. "Your mom," she said, which had him chuckling and shaking his head before he simply rushed over to Jubilee and spun her around in a hug.

"We're getting married," he told her. "On Halloween."

"Of course you are —but are you sure you want to do that on your birthday? Cuts off one extra special day to have fun if you combine it," Jubilee said.

"Best present I can think of, though," he pointed out.

She grinned for just a moment before she flat out tackled Sying and kissed his cheek. "Yay! I call dibs on party planning!"

"Gonna have to fight my mom for it," Krissy pointed out.

"Oh. I will. I will fight her, and I will _win._ " Jubilee had her hands on her hips and all her weight on one foot just before she blew her bangs out of her face and tipped her chin up. "I'm ready."

Krissy giggled. "Let me tell her first!" she said, shaking her head, though she didn't get to say anything else before there was the unmistakable squeal of the twins, and it was Krissy's turn to get tackled as both of Sying's sisters took her to the ground.

"About time!" Melody said, grinning.

"Dad's bringing Ael," Celeste added. "We told him to get _moving_."

"I swear," Jubilee said, popping a fresh piece of bubble gum into her mouth. "He is getting so _slow._ "

The girls both giggled at that. "Don't tell him that," Celeste said.

"Oh, I will," Jubilee said with a grin. "Because then he tries to prove me wrong."

"Yes, I do — and what am I proving wrong today?" Noh asked as he arrived with Ael on his back, piggy-back style.

"Just telling the girls how _slow_ you're getting," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Noh blinked at her for a moment before he simply shook his head, let Ael down to the ground, and picked Jubilee up in his arms. "You," he said, "just want to run off somewhere warm and private."

"I so, so do," she agreed seriously, nodding slowly.

"But, um, maybe _after_ we tell you about the proposal?" Krissy giggled as she finally got the twins to tackle Sying instead.

Jubilee grinned. "Okay ... think you told him … be prepared!"

Sying laughed and then grinned up at Noh. "Took her down to an island and proposed in the waves," he said, which earned an approving laugh and smile from his dad.

"And we're getting married on Halloween," Krissy said.

"We're still deciding on our first dance, but we'll let you know when we pick the song," Sying added.

Noh couldn't help but grin at that before he wrapped both of them into a hug at once. "I am so proud of you," he told Sying and kissed the top of his head before he spun Krissy around in the hug. "And you — welcome to the family. Officially. At last."

"Oh, okay, so your whole family was in on this," Krissy giggled toward Sying.

"You've met them, right?" Ael said with a smirk before he came over to hug Sying. "What, did you pick Halloween so you'd always remember the anniversary?" he teased.

"Um, no," Sying said, sounding dramatically insulted.

Krissy giggled and shook her head. "I don't know; maybe we _should_ go for the first of November…"

"We're still making everyone wear pirate hats and carry swords, though, right?" Sying said with a smirk.

"Obviously," Krissy said with a sniff.

"Okay, I like that idea," Ael said, grinning. "Where's the wedding?"

"Out on the dock," Krissy said, moving to wrap him up in a hug as well.

"I like that idea too," he laughed.

"Okay, well, we have to tell my parents and ask my dad to do the ceremony," Krissy said, waving with the tips of her fingers. "So you two can run now if you want to," she told Jubilee and Noh.

Noh smirked down at Jubilee. "I'm torn," he admitted to her. "I want to see Kate and Kurt's reactions as well."

"They're with Logan and K … passing the baby around like a snuggly hot potato," Jubilee said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Ah, then a bamf is already recording," Noh surmised before he pulled her into a kiss and then ran off with her without another word.

Krissy giggled and then took Sying by the hand again, teleporting off to where her parents were, in fact, with Logan and K and both Chelsea and John. Chelsea was in K's lap watching John sleep in Kurt's arms and babbling to K about some story that clearly involved John for how much she kept pointing at him.

"Hey, troubles," Logan said, glancing up at the pair of them. "You two just getting back?"

They grinned and nodded. "Well, we had a lot to do," Krissy said, holding Sying's hand a little tighter. "Like, you know, plan a wedding."

"Which… we'd like you to officiate," Sying said to Kurt with a smile.

Kurt sort of stared between the two of them for a moment, clearly in shock. "I … don't recall being asked about … approval," he said — which was absolutely not what either Krissy or Sying had expected to hear, considering the good reactions Sying's parents had.

"But Daddy, she _loves him_ ," K sang out quietly in the silence that followed Kurt's sputtered pronouncement.

"And I was going to propose if he didn't," Krissy said, indicating the ring Sying was already wearing. "So... "

"So ... did you ask Jubilee's permission?" Logan asked with a barely repressed smirk.

"No," Krissy said. Both she and Sying looked like they were suddenly starting to understand where they'd gone wrong, and their good moods were quickly slipping.

"Equality on both sides — no one was consulted," K said, shrugging.

"Does this mean you won't do it?" Krissy asked Kurt with her eyes wide.

"Tyler's still around if he says 'no'," Logan stage whispered her way.

Kate laughed and reached over to pinch Kurt's side. "Like he'd miss the chance to marry our _oldest child_ ," she said with a pointed look his way, though about the same time Kurt started to nod, there was a muted _bamf_ as Tyler showed up in a poof of blue looking confused.

Logan and K burst out laughing when he showed up with Chelsea not far behind them, though she certainly didn't get the joke, while Kurt was swearing up a blue streak in German.

"Okay… what's going on?" Tyler asked as he took in the scene.

"My daughter's engaged, and the bamfs think you'd make an excellent minister," Kate explained, trying valiantly not to laugh for Kurt's sake.

"Oh. Wouldn't you rather…?" Tyler gestured to Kurt.

"Why don't you pick up your godson and let Kurt hug his daughter?" K suggested.

Kurt shot her a look, but when Tyler picked up John anyway, he shook his head and teleported over to Krissy to wrap her up anyway, pulling her head under his chin. "Of course, I'd love to," Kurt said. "But I have a request first."

"Okay, shoot," Sying said with a nod, looking a bit relieved.

"I'd like the two of you to sit down for a counseling session, just so that you — _and I_ — can be sure you're not rushing into things."

"Papa," Krissy said cajolingly. "We're not rushing."

"If you don't want to do it alone, or if you think I'm singling you out, I'll make Elin and Chance go too. They should have done it before they got married anyhow."

"We'll go," Sying assured him.

Kurt looked toward Sying and nodded almost to himself. "Good."

"We were hoping to do it on Halloween… or maybe the first of November," Krissy said.

"Why not both?" K asked as Tyler handed her John. "Do it backwards … party first and then ceremony at midnight … very in-character."

Sying grinned. "Hey, I like it! Thanks, Grammy K, that's perfect!"

"That's perfect for our plans, too," Krissy agreed. "We wanted everyone in pirate hats and swords."

"Oh, she's _so_ your daughter," Kate said with a smirk Kurt's way.

Kurt's tail whipped behind him a couple of times before he headed over to give them both a hug. "I'm sure whatever you plan will be amazing," Kurt said.

"Oh, and Mom — Jubilee said she called dibs on the party planning," Krissy said over her shoulder.

K and Logan both let out a low whistle and started whispering 'fight' at that as Kate narrowed her eyes and pointed at Krissy. "That's what _she_ thinks."

Sying shook his head at his grandparents. "I'm sure you can both share," he pointed out, but that had Logan laughing outright.

"I will if she will," Kate said, still with her finger pointed at Krissy for an instant before she turned it to Sying. "This is my baby. You better take care of her."

"I will," Sying promised.

"Yeah… or you'll have all kindsa arrows in places," Logan said under his breath with a grin.

"That's if the teleporting demon doesn't get there first," Tyler muttered low with a smirk of his own.

Logan tipped his head and pointed a finger his way. "If he hasn't had a heart attack by then."

"He is getting more gray and less blue," Tyler said, nodding.

"Only because the dye job is … inventive," Logan agreed low.

Tyler just chuckled at that before he turned to the bamf who had brought him. "Listen, I appreciate the thought, but it looks like things are wrapped up here on the minister front. Can I get back to my family now?"

The bamf dramatically rolled his eyes before disappearing with Tyler, leaving the little group to work out the details of the upcoming wedding for themselves in the meantime.


	6. Counseling Woes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Elin is apparently scared of our fluff

"Are you nervous?" Elin asked Chance as they headed toward the building where their counseling appointment was set up — by Kurt.

"What's there to be nervous about?" Chance asked with a shrug. "I know you're the one for me, and we work well together. She'll tell us we're perfect and we can go home."

"I don't know," she said, shrugging to match him. "I've never gone to anyone like this. Anytime I needed to talk to someone, it was always like … Kurt. Or your big sister."

"Yeah, pretty sure that's why he asked us to do this one," Chance said. "And I definitely don't want to talk to _Rachel_ about our marriage."

She leaned closer to him and whispered, "I don't like strangers. They make me edgy."

He nodded and grabbed her hand to give her a reassuring squeeze. "When we get home, I'll take you wherever you want to go," he promised.

"We'll have to see how this goes first, though," she said. She popped up on her toes and stole a kiss before he opened the door, and they greeted the bright-eyed therapist whose office Kate had used for years — so they knew she was trustworthy.

For the most part, the questions were simple enough. Since they were both on the team, they didn't have anything in the way of competing career goals or life plans, and they both genuinely liked each other's parents and siblings.

But the therapist was concerned about the fact that their courtship had involved so many intense moments — drawing on feelings of protectiveness, yes, but, "I just want to be sure that you both feel that way when you're not in immediate danger."

"Hey," Chance said, pointing a finger her way. "I liked her _long_ before anything that happened with Jamie or Alpha Flight, okay?"

"That's kind of where the protectiveness came from anyhow," Elin said. "The before. Not the crazy."

"Yes, but some couples thrive on the intensity — and can't handle the quieter moments," the therapist explained. "I'm not saying that's what will happen to you; I just want you to be able to enjoy both parts of life."

"But those are the best ones," Elin said with a deep frown. "The quiet stuff."

Chance nodded his agreement. "I'd be perfectly happy just riding horses and curling up with Elin the rest of my life," he said. "Best part of the day is waking up next to her."

The therapist nodded and held up her hands. "It's just something I need to be sure of. You have to admit that the last little while has been very strong on the emotional front."

"The crazy goes with the job," Elin said. "And yeah, there have been some wild swings, but that's out of our hands, timing wise. If we'd waited for things to be calm all the time, we'd probably never have been able to get married."

The therapist nodded at that, and for a while, the two of them were convinced that was the only hiccup — until she got to the question of starting a family together. "Have you talked about it at all?" she asked. "About how many kids you want V if you want any?"

Elin shook her head gently as Chance glanced over at her. "I mean… we got married young. We're just enjoying being married right now, you know?" he said.

"Yes, but it's an important discussion to have," the therapist pointed out. "You need to be on the same page."

"I haven't really thought about it," Elin admitted.

The therapist gestured between them, and Chance rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, yeah, eventually, right?" he said, looking at Elin with a sheepish smile.

"Eventually," she said slowly. "Just … not right now."

"We've got time," Chance assured her quickly. "And it's not like we're running against a clock… well… not for you, anyway."

She gave him an almost sad smile at that and nodded. "Yeah, don't run out of time on me."

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Waiting on you," he said. "Always gonna be there when you're ready."

Elin smiled at him and had to laugh lightly. "Of course."

"Besides, we have other things to worry about. Like our friends' wedding and your little brother needing spoiling," he said and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'm not in a rush."

Elin let out a little breath and nodded. "We'll talk about it more. Figure it out."

He nodded and squeezed her hand again. "Absolutely," he said.

When the session was over, and it was clear Elin was still a bit in her head, Chance wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his head over her shoulder to kiss her neck. "Hey, where do you want to go?" he asked her quietly.

"I don't know that we _need_ to go anywhere, Sweet Summers," she said just as quietly.

"Yeah, but you're caught up in your head," he said. "What was it?"

"It's very safe in my head," she teased. "They like me there."

"Yeah, but I _adore_ you out here," he pointed out and kissed her neck again to prove his point.

"The feeling is entirely mutual," she said, twisting to get a better kiss. "I just hadn't thought about some of that stuff, that's all."

"I meant what I said, you know," he promised. "I love you. And I like being married to you. And I don't need anything else right now."

"I know, I believe what you said, every word," she agreed. "It's just kind of a scary question after _just_ watching Mom go through it."

"Well, you don't have a metal skeleton, so that'll help," Chance reasoned.

"True," she said. "But the rest of it's pretty scary too, you know."

"I… guess I don't really," Chance admitted, then pointed to his own face. "Boy."

She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "Yes. Exactly that. Scary, scary boy who has no idea."

"Good thing we both like scary," he said, wrapping her up with a smile.

"Yeah, but in this discussion, you're the dangerous one," she said.

"What a novel idea," he said with a smirk.

"And I honest to _god_ don't know how Dad would react. So there's that."

"Well, if it happens … _you_ tell him first," Chance said.

"See … that's the real scary part," Elin said, raising one eyebrow. "Because chances are, he'd smell it before I figured it out."

"Oooh, good point," Chance said, nodding. He tipped his head to the side to consider it and then just laughed and wrapped her up in a hug. "You know what, it doesn't matter. He said I could marry you, and he doesn't want to take me out of your life early unless I hurt you. So… he'll have to deal with it."

She had to laugh at that. "You, Sweet Summers, are the very best kind of optimist." She put her hands on either side of his head and gave him a longer kiss. "Just at the very _least_ , let me get out of my teens before we even _consider_ this? We can take a few years to just spoil each other, can't we?"

He grinned and nodded. "I'm perfectly fine with that," he swore.

She shook her head at him. "You … are pure trouble."

"I am, and you married me anyway," he said with a smile. "But it probably helps that you know I won't push you if you're not ready, right? I think waiting 'til our twenties is perfectly reasonable."

She nodded at that. "It does help," she agreed. "Especially considering I've listened to the 'discussion' forever."

He nodded and then tipped his head to the side. "But… you do want to? Eventually, I mean?"

She smiled and kissed him again. " _Eventually_."

He relaxed into the kiss and then smiled when it broke, resting his forehead against hers. "Oh good. Because … you know… I'm a family man," he said with a smile.

"I gathered that from the _epic_ baby face when you met John." She poked him in the chest. "You are squishy for babies."

"I… can't control my face," he said with a sheepish smile.

"I know," she said. "I just … wasn't expecting it. But I suppose I was expecting what you told the therapist … since I'd already seen the baby face with my own two eyes."

"Well, you know… that's just…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Outside of the team, family's what I've always cared about. Always figured I'd have one too… make Mom a grandma again…"

Elin nodded at that, slowly. "Yeah, if and when that ever happens, she'll snatch that kid up and we'll never get to hold it."

"I'll fend her off," Chance said with a little smile.

"You already said you can't tell her no," Elin pointed out.

"True," Chance said. "Then I think we're screwed. Sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay; my parents can step in. They like to say no to everyone. For fun."

Chance wrapped her up in another hug and a kiss before he rested his head so he could kiss her neck. "So, if we're focusing on spoiling each other… Can I take you out for dinner?"

"That depends," Elin replied low with a touch of a growl. "Are you just trying to get into my pants?"

He grinned at her. "Not _just_."

She had to shake her head. "As long as it's at least a two-pronged thought process … okay. Your turn to pick."

"Believe it or not, I am seriously in the mood for sushi," he told her, then smirked and couldn't help but tease, "You know, while you still can."

She stopped cold and stared at him. "What."

"It was just sitting there, El. Calling my name," he said.

"Oh my _God._ "

"It's okay; you can laugh," he said, grinning as he opened the door to the car for her.

"I can't, not when I'm scared," she said, staring at him still.

He just chuckled to himself as he walked around to the other side of the car to start it up. "Yes, I am very scary. Fear me."

"You … you are much scarier than I've been giving you credit for," Elin said when he got them going. "Diabolical."

"I'm full of surprises," he couldn't help but laugh.

She reached over to take his hand, though she didn't quite get to the teasing tone she usually would have used. "Dad always said to watch out for Summerses. I had no idea this is what he meant. Oh. My. God."

"To be fair to your dad, I'm pretty sure he didn't count on a Summers ever, you know, at risk of giving him grandbabies? So… probably not what he meant," Chance couldn't help but laugh.

"I should _hope_ not," Elin said.

"I promise I'll refrain from teasing _too_ hard," he said with a smirk. "It was just too much to pass up."

She gave him a flat look and crossed her arms, not wanting to say anything for a long moment. And though she almost did so in the car, she waited until they were parked at the sushi bar. "I have to put this out there for you," Elin said. "She was asking questions about numbers … and even though I'm saying 'eventually,' I don't want to be set on a number. At all."

Chance nodded slowly. "Okay," he said. "I just have one condition — I don't want just one."

She bit her lip at that. "I need to know how bad it is _for me_ before I agree to doing that more than once."

"If you hate it, we can adopt, but I really do want more than one," Chance said.

She let out a breath and nodded. "Okay, as long as adoption is okay too," she said. "That … is kind of a family tradition."

"Yeah, I'm already expecting you to have a small army by the time you're fifty — none of which are ours. Just so you know," he teased her lightly.

"You're picking, but this really is scary for me, Chance. I know you see the happy families and the cute kids, but that is a _lot._ "

Chance turned toward her and then pulled her into a long, lingering hug — not trying to kiss her, just holding her close. "We'll try it once, and if you hate it, I won't push," he promised. "You know I don't want to hurt or scare you, and considering you've got an alien for a brother, it's not like I didn't know we'd have an unusual family." He pulled back to smile at her. "We can go to space like Noh did if you want a blue one," he said, only half teasing.

"We'd both have to get better with our Kree," she said dryly.

"Worth it," he said. "I already told you: family means the world to me." He kissed her forehead. "And right now, you're my family. Which makes you my whole world. I won't jeopardize that — ever. Okay?"

She let her shoulders relax considerably as she nodded. "Love you too. But if you keep up 'teasing' like that, I'll start hitting you _hard,_ because it _is_ scary."

The two of them headed hand-in-hand into the restaurant, moving onto the considerably lighter topic of the training schedule for the team — as well as the fact that a few more kids were getting old enough to start going out for the junior squad. They were just discussing who they thought would try out first between Kaleb and Chloe — since Sadie had made it clear she was more interested in dancing than fighting — when a familiar smiling face showed up at their table.

"Sorry, sorry, I promise I'll let you get back to your date," Alyssa said, though she was almost bouncing in place.

"Hi, Alyssa," Elin said with a soft smile. "What's new?"

"Oh, nothing much for _me_ ," Alyssa said, her smile widening at not only the fact that Elin had remembered her name but at the rings she could see both of them wearing. "But, um, clearly, not for you two. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Elin said, even going so far as to turn so the girl could see her rings better. "It's official."

"That's amazing," Alyssa gushed. "How long?"

Chance looked between Alyssa and Elin, clearly surprised by how friendly Elin was being, before he shrugged and ran with it. "Bout a month," he said. "Almost two now, come to think of it." He grinned Elin's way. "Feels like yesterday."

She smirked back at him and nodded. "So, is that all you came to ask?" Elin asked Alyssa.

"Well, I mean, it's kind of a _big_ something, don't you think?"

"It really kind of is," she said, nodding. "I'll bet if you ask James nicely, he might just send you a photo. He got some great ones."

Alyssa beamed delightedly. "Would that be okay with you?" she asked. "It would be so amazing!"

Elin turned to Chance and gave him a look that clearly said it was in his hands. So, he shrugged lightly. "Hey, I'd shout to the whole world how much I loved her if I could. Fine by me."

Alyssa giggled. "Thanks!" she said, almost flouncing off to her own table, clearly to text James to get a picture.

Chance laughed and leaned across the table toward Elin. "That's new."

"You haven't been paying close enough attention to her little webcast. James and I gave her an off-the-cuff exclusive a while back," Elin said. "He's the most _ridiculous_ flirt on the planet and she ate. it. up. He has a type, I'm telling you."

Chance grinned at that. "I'll have to find that," he said. "If you're putting him ahead of me in flirting…"

"I thought she was going to pass out when he started the friendly and smiling routine. Oh my God."

"Yep, definitely gonna need to see it," Chance chuckled.

"Yeah, but he took it further than you ever did," Elin said, taking his hand in hers. "He put his cell number in her phone so she could text if she had questions about the team."

"That's kind of amazing," Chance said. "Like our own official fan club."

"It's insane," Elin said.

"It is, but it's better than what our parents had — the whole 'mutants are evil; go kill them' hysteria. I mean… not that it's _gone_ …"

She waved one hand. "There's still some of that, but they also had a whole underground fanbase too. Have you seen the little Wolverine dolls? Someone has been making stuffed animals. Seriously."

"I know for a fact that the bamfs have three of Kurt. I saw Chelsea playing with one the other day," Chance told her in a little whisper that clearly showed his amusement.

She leaned even closer and raised an eyebrow. "I see your Kurt doll with the bamfs and raise you one yellow-suited Wolverine doll — at my older brother's apartment."

Chance broke into a laugh that he absolutely couldn't stop. "That. Is. _Beautiful_."

"He's got an actual girlfriend now, I'll have you know."

"Wait, what?" Chance stared at her openly.

She smiled wider, nodding slowly. "He's having fits because he's so used to just … controlling people — and he _doesn't want to_ with this one."

"Who is this mystery unicorn and when can I meet her?" Chance asked, totally wide-eyed.

"She's an FBI agent," Elin laughed.

"Okay, now I know you're screwing with me," Chance said, shaking his head. "No way."

"No, really. Her name is Donna." She gestured to her head. "Blonde … stacked …she's got him all twisted up."

"My brain literally can't comprehend what you're telling me," Chance said, blinking at her in open surprise.

She started laughing at that. "Seriously." She pulled out her phone and flipped through the pictures until she found the one that Daken had sent her. "There."

Chance raised his eyebrows as he looked over the picture and then chuckled. "No smile," he said.

"I know; they're meant for each other. Couple 'a psychopaths."

Chance chuckled. "You'll be invited to the grumpy wedding," he told her. "I think you might be his favorite."

"No, they're too serious to get married. And of course I'm his favorite," she let out a low chuckle. "He likes all of us girls. Positively _hates_ James, though."

"Which is too bad, because brothers are _great_ ," Chance said. "I mean, I'm biased; I have Nate and Cody…"

"Well … his history considered …" She shrugged. "That's probably never going to happen."

"His loss," Chance said.

"It is, but it's so funny listening to him … he is clearly asking for help, but he despises the answers he's getting. Dad thinks it's hilarious."

"Yeah… you're mom's right about the eternal teenager thing. Cody's doing that too right now," Chance said with a smirk. "Got a new car, wants to drive to Avengers Tower to see Zoe every, like, five minutes. When he's not texting Amadi, mind you."

"Oh, yeah, that'll be interesting, I'm sure." She thought about it for a long moment and then narrowed her eyes. "I … think we should try the double date thing with James and Vanessa again. No one knows her very well, and he is in _so_ deep."

"He is," Chance agreed. "And I'm in favor." He tipped his head to the side. "By the way, Charlie would absolutely love to double with them. She _adores_ 'Nessa."

"Good; we need to get them out of their hidey holes more often," Elin said.

"Yeah, and I'd love for James to get a good read on how Gerry's treating my sister," Chance said with a smirk.

"So you want to use my brother to torture Gerry …" She tipped her head to the side. "Are you sure you don't want Daken?"

Chance chuckled and shook his head. "No, just want to make sure she's being treated right — and since Gerry and I have been friends since before you were born, it's hard to get a read right."

"James likes Gerry," Elin said. "I'm sure he'd go along with it."

"Perfect," Chance said with a smile.

She shook her head as their order showed up. "Okay, so, let's test your retention. Do you remember _any_ of the names of these?"

Chance just grinned as he nodded and rattled them off. "Hey, I can remember all of the different combinations of Kree tech and mechanics. Give me some credit," he teased.

"I just didn't know how well James' immersion lesson in Japanese worked for you," she laughed. "He really, really enjoyed that."

"He's a pain," Chance said, shaking his head and laughing.

"But it worked — right?"

"Yeah, it worked," Chance said, smiling her way. "Helped that I was also trying to get in your family's good graces at the time…"

"I wonder … if I did the same thing with Swedish …"

He chuckled and reached across the table to take her hand. "We could communicate other ways until I figured it out, I'm sure," he teased.

"Is this the part of the date where you admit to the one-track mind?"

"Gonna have to say yes," he said with a smirk. "Yes, I think so."

"This is me not surprised," she said with a nod. "We should hurry and finish up here."

He grinned at her. " _Tack._ "

" _Tack sa mycket._ "


	7. This Was Not What Kurt Intended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sying and Krissy's turn to find out what they want!

Krissy and Sying had their appointment shortly after Elin and Chance's, though Krissy had pointed out that they didn't have to get there until the last minute. Which is what they did.

The two of them were holding hands as they sat down in front of the therapist, who started them off easy with a few questions about how they met and how they got together. Both of them had only wonderful things to say about each other's families, of course, and they talked about trips to the beaches and to Australia with so much genuine affection that it was obvious the therapist didn't have too many worries about the in-laws… except for the fact that Kurt hadn't known about the proposal.

"You both have such good relationships with your families; why _not_ talk to them first?" she pointed out.

"We… figured they were already on board," Sying admitted with a sheepish look.

"And … we've talked about it a lot," Krissy said. "It's not like we were quiet about it."

"But I should have talked to her dad," Sying said. "I can't change that I overlooked it, but I realize it was a mistake."

"He'll get over it," Krissy promised, squeezing his hand. "He likes you."

Sying nodded, and the two of them sat through a few more questions… including the question of how they were dealing with the lingering effects of Krissy's kidnapping. It was a delicate subject, one that eventually turned to the question of kids once it was clear that they were communicating well about what needed doing to keep each other from falling apart under the stresses of the past.

"Is it something you've considered?" the therapist asked politely.

Sying bit his lip and glanced over at Krissy. "It's… different when it's interspecies," he said slowly. "Mom was _miserable_ with me and my sisters, so if we did—"

"What are you talking about?" Krissy interrupted him, staring at him like he'd gone insane.

He blinked at her for a moment. "I don't assume …especially with the genetic considerations … and my being half Kree could be an issue, of course. So I ..."

Krissy reached over to thwack him in the side of the head. "You know I'm _Catholic_ , right?" she said.

"Well, yes. But I don't see what that means here," Sying said.

"Okay. See. Alright. We're going to have to take you to Sunday School or something. Or like. Sit you down with my priest. Because you… you clearly don't understand…" She shook her head. "Sying, if I didn't want kids, I wouldn't…" She paused to reorder her thoughts. "I want, like, _five_."

"Oh!" He was obviously taken aback, but a slow smile started at the corner of his mouth as he began to nod slowly. "Okay."

"And what about you, Sying?" the therapist asked, her expression neutral so as not to give away her opinion of this turn of events — which was so very different from the previous couple.

"I think that would be _amazing._ "

Krissy beamed at him. "Oh good," she said. "Because I don't know if you've noticed, but I come from a big family."

"I did notice, actually," he said, still grinning steadily wider.

"And besides, you're only half Kree, right?" she pointed out. "Quarter-Kree might be easier… and they'll be part-demon too." She grinned. "They'll be some super interesting kids."

"You should get on the same page for timing," the therapist pointed out.

"Whenever God sends them," Krissy said without hesitating.

The therapist shook her head lightly. "You aren't helping your case," she said with a smile. "Part of the worry sending you here is that you're rushing into things."

"What about the phrase 'God's timing' makes you think I'm rushing?" Krissy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Besides, we've always done things fast," Sying said. "I have super speed; she teleports. You have to be able to make decisions in an instant and trust yourself to be right when you have that kind of powerset."

The therapist nodded — and the rest of the session went relatively without any other hiccups, though Krissy was giggling as the two of them grabbed a bite of tacos on their way home. "I'm pretty sure Papa wasn't expecting _that_ to be the end result," she said, grinning up at Sying before she kissed his cheek quickly. "You're seriously so sweet to think about me, though."

"I just… remember Mom being miserable, and I know that's why they adopted Ael instead," Sying explained.

Krissy kissed his cheek again. "Yeah, but … I want to try it. If it's _that_ horrible, we can adopt like both of our parents did. But I want to try it."

He grinned at her and nodded slowly. "I'm fine with that."

* * *

Both couples had only just gotten back from their nights out when Elin started toward Krissy — but not before Chance managed to snag Elin and pull her back to steal a kiss, even though he was completely sure that Elin needed to vent. To a girl. Now.

Elin rushed up and threaded her arm with Krissy's and then blew Sying a kiss. "Mine now."

Sying chuckled. "Okay, okay, have fun. Bring her back before curfew and all that."

"Ha! Good luck," Elin called back over her shoulder, though once they were out of Sying's range of hearing, Elin was quick to get into things. "So. How did it go?"

"It was fine," Krissy said. "There was a little bit of a — I mean, she got onto us for not telling my dad beforehand, but Sying apologized."

"I can see that," Elin said. "At least partly. It's not like you asked his parents."

"Yeah, we just sort of assumed everyone was already on board," Krissy said sheepishly. "I mean, the way his mom talks about it, it's, like… it was already a done deal when we were _six_."

"It was for her," Elin said. "About the same way Annie talks about us, too."

"And Noh came from a culture of arranged marriages, so it's not like he wasn't on board either," Krissy said.

"Your parents were loving on him for forever, so …." she nodded. "I get where there was a _slight_ miscommunication."

Krissy nodded. "Yeah, but Sying's going to apologize to Papa anyway."

"Of course he is; he's a sweetheart," Elin said.

Krissy smiled. "That's why I love him," she agreed. "What about you? You look like the world is ending, and you were just kissing your Sweet Summers, so… something's up."

"That was before he decided to give his best shot at scaring the crap out of me," Elin said.

Krissy's eyebrows shot up. " _How_?"

"Oh, you know. Just … _ridiculous_ notions of baby talk. Now."

Krissy tipped her head to the side. "Oh, well, we got that question too," she said. "Sying thought for _some_ reason that I wouldn't want them."

"Because he remembers when Jubilee had the twins," Elin said. "Two little ones cooked up in not nearly enough time. She was miserable. And it was _dangerous._ "

Krissy nodded. "Yeah, I remember that too. But our kids would only be quarter-Kree and like, one-eighth demon. And I'm _Catholic_."

"Huh," she said, tipping her chin up. "The way you _talk_ half the time, you're all demon."

Krissy rolled her eyes and shoved Elin half-heartedly in the shoulder. "Anyway, I told him that I wanted, like, _five_ , and you should have seen his face!"

"Oh my God," Elin said, staring at her in borderline shock.

"What?" Krissy turned to stare right back at Elin.

" _Five_?"

"That's how many my family has, and I happen to _like_ having brothers and sisters."

"Well … yeah, mine too, but still. _Five_?" Elin shook her head. "You haven't … you can't just pick a number without … _knowing._ "

"Well, no, but I did say I wanted a big family, and five is just a ballpark figure anyway," Krissy said with a shrug.

"Are you sure … you didn't like… holy crap, I can't even talk to you."

Krissy laughed and reached over to pull Elin into a hug. "Hey, it's my choice," she said. "What did you say, anyway?"

"At the time? The truth — that I hadn't thought about it — _because I'm eighteen_."

Krissy nodded. "Yeah, I mean, that makes sense. I've just thought about it because I'm _me_."

"Well, apparently, _he's_ thought about it."

Krissy raised an eyebrow her way. "And?"

"And he didn't give me a number more than to say more than one."

"Well, at least he didn't say _five_ ," Krissy pointed out with a small smile.

"Not yet," Elin said. "You know how this works, I'm sure. I can hear it now: 'gotta keep up traditions.' Or … something."

Krissy giggled. "Maybe."

Elin shook her head. "I'm not even close to ready. I'm not against the idea. Just … I can't pick a number until I've done it, and I'm not in a rush — at all."

"Well, like you said — you're eighteen. And if I know Chance — and I do — he won't push you too hard if you're not ready."

"Yeah right. He was already making _jokes_ , Krissy."

At that, Krissy burst into laughter. "Oh my gosh. He has it _bad_ , doesn't he? I blame your baby brother," she said through her giggles.

"That's probably a very good person to blame."

"I saw the picture of him holding John, so yeah, pretty sure I'm right on this." Krissy leaned over and pulled Elin into a hug. "Maybe the baby face will back off a bit when John stops being so _new_."

"Whatever," Elin said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but he'll listen to you if you say 'no', so just… why are you stressed about this?" Krissy asked. "It sounds to me like you're the one in charge here."

Elin gave Krissy driest look she'd ever managed. "I have seen my parents go back and forth forever. I know better than to believe that line."

"Yeah, but that's _your_ parents. Not you and Chance. Different dynamic entirely," Krissy argued.

"I know that," Elin said with a wave. "But I know he already knows that it's a _thing._ To just … keep. Asking. And I know he doesn't _get_ why I'm wary."

Krissy nodded slowly. "Well, if it gets bad, I can drop him in Siberia until he _cools off_ ," she offered with a teasing smile.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be helpful. He'll just come back looking pitiful and asking to snuggle to warm up. No. Keep out of it, you baby hungry demon."

Krissy couldn't help but laugh at that, though she snuggled into Elin all the same. "We're not going to help your case, I'm afraid. Both of us want families — whenever they come."

"That's it. I'm moving away."

"Oh, you can't!" Krissy said, wide-eyed.

"Sure I can! I'll find a nice place just out of your teleporting range …"

"But you have to be godmother!" Krissy couldn't help but tease.

Elin stuck a finger in Krissy's face. "Do. Not. Talk about this like that."

Krissy let her shoulders drop and wrapped Elin up in another hug. "Okay, but you love him, so I have faith you'll work this out," she said into the hug.

"Yeah, well… I want to get _out_ of my teens before we revisit this discussion … so no encouraging the baby talk."

"Did you tell him that?" Krissy asked.

"Yes," Elin said. "And he agreed. For now."

"Then you don't have anything to worry about," Krissy reasoned. "You gave a Summers a _concrete timeline_ for revisiting the discussion." She grinned. "You're set."

Elin rolled her eyes. "Yes, but the rules between Summers and Howletts are a little bit squishy. You know that. And he was joking about it anyhow, so I don't think it stuck."

"I'm trying to encourage you and reassure you and you're jumping straight to 'oh my gosh he's trying to knock me up'."

"You didn't hear his version of a joke, Kris."

"Well, what was it?"

"He wanted to go out for sushi — _while I still could._ "

Krissy stared at Elin for a moment and then burst out laughing, holding onto Elin's shoulders as she did so.

"You're a horrible best friend. I want a refund," Elin said, perfectly flatly and looking more like her father than Krissy could remember seeing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Krissy gasped out, still holding onto Elin.

"Nope," Elin said, starting to walk away. "Too late. I'm finding a new bestie."

Krissy laughed again and shook her head, teleporting in front of Elin and wrapping her in a hug with her arms and legs. "I'm sorry, what I should have said was 'Oh how horrible of that no good, evil, rotten, _terrible Summers_ with his _diabolical baby face_."

"I hate you. And I'm not talking to you."

"Okay," Krissy giggled, though she stayed where she was attached to Elin — arms, legs, and tail all wrapped around her friend.

"I should talk to your dad. He'd be better. Or my dad."

"Your dad would murder him for even suggesting it," Krissy giggled. "Can I come?"

"Only if I get to see you tell your dad how many grandbabies you're looking for. As a ballpark."

Krissy giggled all over again. "Yeah, I'm really very sure that's not what he meant to have happen out of this counseling session."

Elin rolled her eyes. "Of course he didn't. Now. If you'll excuse me … I think I need to talk to Vanessa about being my new best friend. You know … the girl who is not ridiculous and conspiring against me."

"I'm not _conspiring_ ," Krissy insisted. "I just… it was a funny joke, and your face and just… I'm still in a good mood and it was bad timing, but I swear, I'm on your side and I won't let the evil Summers push you into anything ever, okay?"

"Hmm," Elin said.

"We're, like, the best team ever, you and me. Second only to our parents," Krissy said, then leaned forward with a spark of trouble in her gaze. "For now."

Elin's dry look returned. "Go tell your dad about your new obsession."

Krissy laughed and shook her head. "It's not an obsession. I just said I'd like a big family. I didn't say _right now_."

"At least he's open to adopting, and you know how that goes in our family."

Krissy beamed at that and nodded. "We talked about that too — as an alternative if the Kree-demon combo turns out to be horrible," she agreed. "I think that's a good idea."

Elin let out a breath. "Do you really think that he or his father hasn't run the preliminary cross references for problems yet?"

"Um…" Krissy tipped her head to the side. "I… guess… that's a very good point."

Elin raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "My sparkly brother taught him well."

"Well, all three of our families have adopted siblings, so … I'm not surprised at all," Krissy said. "Our families are beautiful, and I love them. So… there." She leaned forward a bit, her ears dropped low to her head to show how serious she was. "But I'm not kidding — if you want me to, I'll drop him in, like, an ocean or something if he gets too ridiculous."

"I'm pretty sure that your _father_ would be more than happy to help with that. Keep your hands clean and make sure the job gets _done_."

"But then I wouldn't be doing my best friend duty!" Krissy argued.

"Yeah … you'd be with your thirty-seven elflings."

"Alien elflings," Krissy said. "And I'm not having a _litter_ , oh my gosh."

"You don't know that," Elin said with a little spring to her step. She couldn't get Krissy to see things her way, so she might as well plant a few seeds of doubt of her own.

"Okay, now _you're_ the scary one."

"Gotta keep my crown," Elin purred back.

Krissy shook her head and then hooked her arm through Elin's. "Well, I'm sorry that the counseling ended up being totally terrifying. But at least we only had to do it the one time, so… let's just put it behind us, huh?"

"Already done," Elin said. "And I'm thinking up something horrible to do to your father for Christmas for being _cowardly_ enough to make someone else bring that up."

"Oooh, can I help?" Krissy asked with a wicked smile.

"Probably," she agreed. "We'll have to get the bamfs to keep their mouths shut. Little gossips."

"Well, tell me what it is and I'll tell you what we need to do to bribe them."

"I don't know yet," she said. "But I'm in the process; they'll end up overhearing part of it." She stopped and smiled to herself. "Although … if Dad found out that _your Dad_ got Chance on the baby thought process, this could solve itself."

"Oh, it's not really his fault," Krissy said cajolingly.

"I am going to disagree," Elin said.

"I thought we decided it was your little brother's fault?"

"Okay, so … John … may have revealed the _look_ , but it was the thing your dad had us do that got him actually discussing his expectations."

Krissy got an impish sort of smile on. "Okay, but I'm trying really hard not to make a joke about my dad successfully starting up communication lines between a Summers and a Howlett. Really, really hard."

"I will actually not speak to you if you keep talking. And there isn't going to be _any_ communication about it ever if you keep it up."

"You're the one blaming my father for a question he didn't even know you two hadn't talked about!"

"Kris. He knew the kinds of questions that woman was going to ask. He's done it himself for other couples, and you know it!"

"Yeah, but how was he supposed to know you two hadn't talked about it? You were engaged longer than we were."

"Not the _point._ Um … you _have_ done the math about my birthday and my parent's wedding, right? It's kind of a thing … that I doubt _they_ discussed until I was on the way. It's not … something that I have ever considered. I am not _wired_ for the preplanning like _that._ For a fight? Sure."

"Yeah, but you married a Summers. I mean, I sort of assumed you two had… I mean, he plans things too."

Elin raised her eyebrows high. "Hello? _I_ don't think that far ahead. Unless I have to. I'm too busy enjoying _now._ "

"Yeah, but … consider the source. This is my dad. Your _godfather_. It took him _ages_ to be okay with you and Chance getting together."

"He's still not 100%, I don't think. He keeps giving him looks."

"So you really think he purposefully pushed you into the baby train?" Krissy said with one eyebrow raised. "I mean, I'm here for you, Ellie, I really am, but my dad doesn't deserve to get the heat."

"No, of course not." Elin shook her head. "Chance gets the heat for that. I'm just … I wanna hit someone, and I don't know _who_."

"Well… there's a group of anti-human demonstrators in Montana…."

"Not the kind of people I want to hit, but _that_ might do it," Elin said, nodding to herself. "I'll go get changed."


	8. Generations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which even Leslie Ann is getting in on the fluff. (Hi, Leslie Ann!)

It was Leslie Ann's turn to be on rotation from the Avengers to be part of the X-Men, and she found that she was enjoying those rotations more and more lately.

She had been with the Avengers for her entire adult life, but with her thirtieth birthday coming up soon, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was time to try being an X-Man again.

She wasn't sure about it at all. After all, she adored Eleanor and Dani and Zoe — and poor Steve and Natasha would probably appreciate it if someone closer to their age was around, though it was really saying something that Leslie Ann was one of the oldest Avengers at this point. Even Carol had retired, and Jess was clearly thinking about doing so pretty soon as well.

So Leslie Ann was loath to leave the team when so many of the people that she had spent over a decade with were also retiring.

But every time she came to the mansion, she saw that the X-Men were making such great progress. Her cousin was married and running the junior squad with his _wife_ — though Leslie Ann knew those two were going to graduate onto the senior team as soon as there was someone solid to take their place leading the team. It really felt like the team was, like the Avengers, starting up a whole new generation.

Leslie Ann felt a bit like she was in the middle. Older than the junior squad but young enough that she was still so, so new compared to people like Steve and Logan. That was probably why she stayed with the Avengers; at least Dani and Eleanor were close to her own age.

She hadn't told her uncle yet that she was thinking about asking to be back on the team, because she still wasn't _sure_ of the decision. There was an irrational fourteen-year-old inside of her that was convinced that the second she joined up, there would be some horrible awful thing that would scar her for life.

She found her way to the garden, trailing her hand along the hedges as she passed, leaving greener paths in her wake, until she couldn't help but smile when she saw a familiar white mohawk… only to realize that it was Amadi, not Storm.

"Oh, are you going here this year?" Leslie Ann asked with a smile, resting her hand on one of the rose bushes so that the flowers there grew bolder and bigger.

"I think that it's time that I stepped up," Amadi replied. She had inherited her mother's confidence, though she still had the nervous smile of a fifteen-year-old, too. "This team has been missing their weather witch a bit more than they'd like to admit."

Leslie Ann couldn't help but smile at that. "Every team needs a witch," she agreed.

"Then it's too bad that there are so few," Amadi said with a sly smile that looked more like her father than her mother.

"We're rare little orchids," Leslie Ann said, smiling and producing an orchid from the hedge to prove her point.

"But neither of us are hothouse flowers," Amadi pointed out. "We're both hardier than that."

"And smarter than we look," Leslie Ann said. "My cousins told me about all the inventions you and your dad work on together."

"It's mostly just upgrading what we come across," Amadi admitted, shrudding. "He's so much fun to watch when he can really see what's happening with something."

"Howard is like that too," Leslie Ann said. "When he's around the Avengers and really gets going, he outpaces his dad, and it makes Tony so _mad_ ," she added with a little giggle.

"That's what James said," Amadi replied with a laugh. "But they seem to have fun together."

Leslie Ann nodded and tucked the orchid into her hair. "So… you're going to try out for the team, then?" she asked.

"Yes, I think so," Amadi said, nodding. "I know my mother would like to consider stepping back one day soon. As much as she'd allow herself to. And while Kamala is thinking of stepping in at the school, I'd like to follow a different part of her legacy."

Leslie Ann couldn't help but smile. "Well, if you follow her path, you'll probably be running the team by the semester's end — since Elin and Chance will probably be on the senior team soon."

"We'll see," Amadi said. "I'm not sure that I can meet up to my mother's high bar," she admitted, looking at her hands as she stretched them against her legs. Her confidence fell away, and Leslie Ann was suddenly reminded of herself at that age.

"Hey, when your uncle's the first ever X-Man… I get that. You just do what you can, and that's enough," Leslie Ann assured her.

Amadi smiled up at her. "We have time."

Leslie Ann nodded and gestured for Amadi to sit with her on a nearby bench. "I think it's a great idea to step up," she said. "Having been on both the X-Men and the Avengers… our parents' generation is getting older. They don't _want_ to keep fighting; they've done their bit. It's our turn now."

"They've done all of the groundwork too," Amadi pointed out, smiling more now that she knew she was talking to someone who _got it_. "It's up to us to keep the forward momentum."

"Well, one witch to another, I can tell you — you'll be astounding," Leslie Ann said with a warm smile. "Especially the more you get a handle on the finer points of your powers. I'm _still_ learning about mine, and I'm almost thirty."

"I won't lie; it's been very helpful to have the same powerset as my mother," Amadi said as she held out her hand and produced a tiny thundercloud that began to rain on the roses. "It's saved much time, I'm very sure."

Leslie Ann couldn't help but smile as she watched the cloud water the garden. "I'm sure," she agreed. "Your mother was very helpful to me when I got my powers. Not many people understand the immense power at your fingertips when you get involved with nature itself."

Amadi nodded her agreement and let the little cloud rain itself out before she looked back at Leslie Ann. "And you? Where is it you find yourself most comfortable?"

"Oh, usually in a setting like this — with nature and quiet," Leslie Ann admitted. "That's why I loved studying botany." She let the branch of a rosebush grow to snake around her arm until it produced a rose that she plucked and handed to Amadi. "But I've been thinking … well. You said it: the team needs a witch. Maybe the senior team would like a nature witch."

Amadi looked her way again, studying her more closely, the way Forge would study an interesting piece of technology. "Tired of the Avengers, or wanting to go back to your roots?"

"Yes," Leslie Ann said with a sigh. "It's just that… this is where I started, and I'm a grown woman now. I feel ridiculous knowing I joined the Avengers to hide… even if that's not the whole truth of it."

"Well, it's a very good place to hide," Amadi said gently.

"And it's the best place I've been able to make a difference," Leslie Ann said. "I think the world of the Avengers. Who else can say that _Captain America_ helped them with their college homework?" She smiled and shook her head. "It's not that I'm tired of the Avengers; I just find myself asking 'what if' too often when I come here on rotation."

"I don't know what to say to that," Amadi admitted.

"It's a very complicated decision, and it's mine to make," Leslie Ann said, then reached over and gave Amadi a side hug. "You don't have to help at all. You just asked where I wanted to go, and that's the answer. Sorry it's so complex."

"It's not often that anyone gets an easy answer," Amadi said, shrugging. "At least, that's what my mother likes to say."

"Your mother is a goddess," Leslie Ann said with a smile. "I guess that makes you a demigod," she couldn't help but tease.

"I somehow doubt that," Amadi laughed.

"I'm sure it does," Leslie Ann said with a smile before she offered Amadi a hand up. "Would you like to have some tea with me?"

"I would love some," Amadi replied.

* * *

For the rest of Leslie Ann's week in the mansion on rotation, she found herself spending plenty of time with Amadi in the gardens, since the fledgeling weather witch had her mother's gift of insight and was honestly easy to talk to.

But the more she talked with Amadi, the more she realized that it wasn't just that she missed being an X-Man — it was that she missed being part of the _school_. She missed getting to see everyone getting used to their powers, and she missed the sense of family and generations. Not that the Avengers didn't feel like family at times, but with the X-Men… it was deeper. It ran through the whole school.

So, she made up her mind and knocked on her uncle's office door, letting herself in when he called out that it was open.

"Hey, Uncle Scott," she said with a little smile as she sat down across from him.

Scott looked up with a smile of his own, almost absently. "Hey, how's your rotation treating you?"

"Really well," she said. "I didn't know Amadi was here, and she's great to talk to. The garden's never looked better — or the greenhouse."

"She's a lot like her mother," Scott had to say, smiling a little wider.

"She said she was going to go out for the team," Leslie Ann said.

Scott nodded at that and sat back in his chair a little further. "Yeah, it looks like we have someone from just about every one of the old X-Men families stepping up."

Leslie Ann nodded. "And plenty from our family," she said with a smile. "Chloe was telling me she and Kaleb are signing up too."

"Well, we tend to lead the charge," Scott said, smiling a little wider.

Leslie Ann couldn't help but laugh at that before she took a deep breath and held it, leaning forward a bit. "Uncle Scott… I know …. I know the last time I was an X-Man, I was a teenager. But I was wondering what you'd think if I said I was considering… well… coming back?"

For just an instant, Scott paused before he broke into a huge grin. "I think that'd be _great._ "

"Really?" Leslie Ann's expression showed her pure relief as she beamed at him.

"Of course it would!" Scott got to his feet to step around his desk and give her a hug. "Even if you weren't family, the team … is another family. We always welcome you home."

She beamed at him as she returned the hug. "Oh good. Because I… I really miss the school."

"No one ever thinks they will, but they always do," Scott laughed.

"Well, it wasn't until I was talking with Amadi that I realized… I really want to help the next generation with their powers too," Leslie Ann admitted. "I mean, I've been an Avenger for over a decade, an X-Man before that — it's time I helped the younger kids too."

He shook his head lightly with the grin still firmly in place. "Whenever you're ready, Leslie Ann."

She wrapped him up tighter. "Well, I haven't talked to Steve yet, but I'll let you know when it happens." She grinned up at him. "And maybe I can help out with teaching too. I'm sure _somewhere_ in that PhD, I have something I can teach."

"Oh, absolutely," Scott agreed. "If we can let Hank run an advanced genetics class, I'm sure the draw for something more down to earth will be welcome."

"Is that an earth science pun, Uncle Scott?" she teased.

He just smiled wider at that, laughing lightly before he pulled her into another tight hug. "Sometimes, they just happen on their own."

* * *

With one month left before the wedding, Krissy had dragged Elin and Kari with her off to her last dress fitting. The shoulders had needed to be adjusted, but now...

"Ta da!" Krissy beamed, spinning around in her dress to show off to her sister and best friend. It was beaded at the collar and at a clasp at the hip where the lace overlay layered, so that it looked like a modern take on a sort of swashbuckling kind of dress, with sleeves down to her elbows.

"Oh, that's definitely you," Elin said as Krissy hopped up onto the short box in front of the mirrors. "I think you need one of those big ostrich plumes in your hat."

"Oh, for sure," Kari said with a grin.

"If it was red, it'd be a nod to your dad …"

"But it should be white," Krissy said. "Because it's a wedding, and everyone else's feathers will have colors, so ours should be white."

"Mine's purple," Kari said with a smile. "Kade's very proud of his big black feather."

Krissy grinned at herself in the mirror, admiring the way the dress hugged her figure without flattening her fur — which had taken some doing. "I'm hoping to knock him speechless," she admitted. "Since he always has something to say."

"I think you'll do at least that much," Elin said.

"Papa will be pretty floored too," Kari giggled.

"You're going to make him cry."

"Just wait until the father-daughter dance," Kari whispered to Elin with one eyebrow raised. "She's picked an old German song. Because she's _mean_."

"Do I look surprised?" Elin asked.

Kari grinned and shook her head. "No one will be surprised. At all."

Krissy stuck her tongue out at the pair of them before she disappeared to change back into her normal clothing and then reemerged with an excited bounce to her step. "I can't believe it's only a month away," she beamed.

"You're going to be amazing," Elin said with a little smirk.

"Oh, of course," Krissy said with a smile before she all but tackled Elin. "I just — I just love him so much and I'm so _excited_!" she gushed to her friend through the whole hug.

"I know," Elin laughed. "I'm wondering if you can make it all the way to the end before you kiss him, though."

"Oh, probably not," Krissy said, shaking her head seriously. "He's going to look so amazing, I just know it. I mean, he's _gorgeous_."

"She's been like this ever since they got engaged," Kari stage-whispered to Elin. "I mean, she was like this before, but it's worse now."

"Believe me, I know," Elin agreed.

"Kade's been practicing his strut for ringbearer," Kari whispered.

"Then I'm not at all mad that we didn't do that part either."

Krissy just laughed and kissed her friend's cheek. "Well, maybe your brother will do that part," she teased.

"James?" Elin shook her head. "No. At the rate he's going, they'll just elope."

"That… sounds about right for him," Kari said with a little smirk. "He's more romantic than he gives himself credit for being."

"Oh, absolutely," Elin agreed. "Do you know how long it took him to decide on that pearl? Weeks."

"I didn't hear that, but I _have_ seen the pictures he's taken of her, and you can just… _feel_ his awe of her in every single snapshot," Kari said, her smile widening as her tone took on a little more of a wistful, romantic tone.

"You haven't heard her talking about him," Elin told her. "Or seen the way she watches him …"

"He's my best friend; I've seen more than you give me credit for," Kari said with a smirk. "You think I'd let it stand if he was dating someone who didn't _adore_ him?"

"Then you're in the minority," Elin said. "Half of the house is still shocked that they're as serious as they are."

"Best friend privilege," Kari said with a sniff and a smirk.

"She adores you too," Elin told her. "In case she didn't say. She thinks the world of you."

Kari flushed a slight purple color. "Oh good. I try to stay out of their way. I know it can be weird when your boyfriend's best friend is a girl…"

"Don't stray too far," Elin told her. "She can use solid advice sometimes."

Kari grinned and nodded at that as Krissy draped her arms around both girls' shoulders. "I say we get some hot chocolate. It's getting cold, and I need something sweet," Krissy announced.

"Ooh, is there going to be tea there? I'm up to my eyeballs in sugar today already," Elin said, scrunching up her nose.

"There's a tea shop close by," Kari suggested. "It's just down the street from the _best_ hot chocolate in town."

"You're trying to bait me into more chocolate," Elin said, shaking her head. "While informing me that I need to fit into a dress in a month."

"Like you'll gain any of it," Krissy said.

"Never know," Elin argued. "Just when I'd be counting on it …"

"Oh, come on," Krissy said. "I'm getting married in one month. Let me spoil my sister and my best friend, huh?"

She rolled her whole body at that. "Ugh … okay _fine_ , but you can't keep throwing that at me."

"I promise I'll stop when I'm married," Krissy giggled.

"I mean, you could always just stick with Sying, but I'm pretty sure he's just as ridiculous," Kari whispered to Elin.

"He is. It's _awful._ "

"And stay away from the twins," Kari advised. "Tristan has been getting headaches from them _gleefully_ obsessing over the wedding."

"Just gotta tell my Dad and he'll get them to rein it in," Elin said.

"True enough," Kari said as the three of them headed off.


	9. Chloe's Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which this isn't technically fluff but it's not -really- evil, either...

"Alright sunshine, you sure you're ready for this one?" Logan asked Chloe as she met him at the Danger Room. He was purely teasing her, his arms crossed, leaning against the doorway. She'd done _well_ by Storm and Kitty, and he _knew_ Scott had done what he could to take care of her — even if it was a test. But the temptation to pick was just a little more than he was willing to pass up.

"I think so," Chloe said, obviously more nervous and serious about the test than Logan's teasing would suggest.

"Guess we'll find out." He tipped his head toward the door as he started up the stairs to the control booth. "You got a couple minutes to stretch while I get it running."

Chloe was quiet, her expression thoughtful as she went through the motions of the stretches. The truth was that the test with her father had been harder than she expected it to be. Not the Danger Room part — but the part where he talked to her about what the team was. What it meant. The legacy of their family. She wanted to live up to it, but her dad didn't want her to feel like she _had_ to.

She was thinking about that as well as wondering what Logan would have in store. Both of her brothers had said Logan's test was harder than anything… and she didn't want to be the only girl in her family (Rachel not included, since she was from a different timeline) on the team _and_ totally blow it.

Chloe was still lost in her thoughts and trying to look like she was focused on stretching when the doors to the room locked and the lights dropped, only to be replaced with a flickering streetlight that led the way to a gathered crowd that was mulling around Central Park. The crowd was muttering to themselves, and it wasn't until one of the men at the fringes absentmindedly bumped into her with a sneer that it looked like there was something really obnoxious going on.

The man looked down at her, then gave her a once-over with a deepening scowl. "This is no place for a fan club, sweetheart," he said, scoffing as he continued on his way. "Get back to school where you belong." He kept walking toward the gathered crowd — though it was clear that the fringes of the group were all complaining about the anti-mutant rally at the center. But none of them looked like they were going to do anything _positive_ about it.

Several young men were glaring at the makeshift stage before they obviously made a decision to do something and peeled off their jackets to reveal hoodies with the X-Men's logo at chest level … just before they started attacking the anti-mutant crowd.

"Oh, no," Chloe said, sounding every bit as insulted as it was possible to sound — not just because the guy on the edge had been so condescending but because these _idiots_ were wearing the team's logo while attacking people. "Ugh."

It took her slightly longer to respond than maybe it _should_ have, but, well, she _really_ didn't want to have to protect anti-mutant idiots. But she was going to have to, wasn't she?

Chloe didn't realize it, but the look on her face was _exactly_ the look that Annie always got when she had to be polite or if she went with Scott to visit politicians. It was a kind of "I'm doing this because I have to, but in my head, all of you are getting chewed out" expression that Logan had known intimately, especially during election years. She rushed toward the crowd, arriving just as the guys in X-Men hoodies made a rush for the rally leaders — so she drew a line of red between the idiots on one side… and the idiots on the other.

"Hey, how about you _don't_ go using my team's logo when you're on the attack, hm?" Chloe said, her arms crossed when it was clear she had their attention.

"Please," one of the men said in a laugh. "You're too young — and there's no way the X-Men would put up with these mouth breathers." He punctuated his response by yanking back one of the _fleeing_ crowd members and laying into him with no finesse at all.

"Oh, so you _want_ me to wipe the floor with you," Chloe muttered under her breath, blasting the guy away from his victim — though the guy pushed her away when she tried to help him to his feet, spewing invectives that had Chloe barely stopping from rolling her eyes.

Which … of course, drew the attention of the crowd who was protesting mutants to begin with, if nothing else by proximity to the guy who had been trying to run away. It didn't take much between her first and second warning shots for the protesters to turn on her. And before Chloe could get much deeper into it, someone near the stage shouted out who exactly they suspected her to be. But it wasn't by virtue of all Chloe had been raised by. It was the darker outlook, of course. "Grab her," the man shouted. "We need to stop this one before she gets the rest of those terrorist gene-trash to help her!"

Chloe narrowed her eyes, stuck between a rock and a hard place, as it were. She had to stop the attacking mutants, because _they_ had escalated the situation into violence, not the rally-goers. But now the anti-mutant crowd was making things more difficult… She let out a scoffing breath and dove in, focusing most of her efforts on pushing back the mutants - because her parents _had_ taught her right. Even if they were idiots, the rallygoers were only using words, not powers or weapons (yet). One was a clearer and more present threat.

The frustrating part was that the more she tried to defend the rallygoers, the more the anti-mutant crowd turned against her, making her job of protecting them _even harder_. It was literally impossible for her to watch every angle, so she was honestly surprised when one of the idiots in hoodies sent a guy flying with a super-powered punch. He'd stopped the guy from getting to Chloe — but then turned right around and grabbed her by the arm, looking furious as he berated her for "turning against mutantkind" and "being a disgrace to the X-Men" and everything in between.

Frustrated, Chloe turned his way, but as soon as she did, the sim froze — so Chloe could see that the guy had pulled back for a blow that, with his enhanced strength, would have at the very least knocked her out if it had landed. At worst, it could have been fatal.

When the sim faded, she yanked her arm back, blinking in surprise with her lips slightly parted. She had _not_ expected to _bomb_ her first test, and she didn't know what to do about it.

"Take five, clear your head," Logan said as he started setting up the next sim, barely looking her way.

Chloe sighed, but at least he hadn't kicked her out yet. "So, where'd it fall apart?" she asked — genuinely curious, because she'd _thought_ she had been fighting the right enemies.

"You needed to call for back up," Logan said distractedly. "Too big and too complex for any one person to juggle."

It was obvious Chloe hadn't even _considered_ that possibility, because she was blinking up at the booth for a long time before she finally went to grab a drink. All the sims with Storm, Kitty, and her dad had been fights for her to take on — or they'd told her who she had as backup. She hadn't even _considered_ that she could ask for more.

Chance and Cody had been right. These tests were _hard_.

When her time was up, the lights shifted into a different scene entirely. The wind was blowing in off of Muir Island — and she'd recognized the rocky shoreline instantly. So at least she knew where she was supposed to be. But as she took in the area around her, she saw several soldiers near the compound dragging Tabitha toward the airstrip. There was no plane on the runway, and honestly, there was no reason _at all_ for Tabitha to be going out with them so … easily. The girl was known for her ability to create bombs practically out of thin air! And she wasn't injured …

Chloe was sure she was dealing with either a localized power disruption or those mini power dampeners, but when she tested her theory by trying to blast the soldiers and didn't even get a glow, that just confirmed the problem. For just a second, she paused and glanced up at the booth, but she figured there wasn't _time_ to call for backup this time around, so she dove in to fight instead.

She was putting Logan's training from combat class to good use at first, but the real kicker was when she got one of the soldier's guns from him — and Logan had to smirk when he realized that Chloe and Annie had _exactly_ the same styles when wielding weapons. As much as Chloe clearly wanted to be like her father, Annie was written all over her personality and tics — though the drive was all Scott.

Then, there was her humor — very much like Annie, too. When the battle was said and done, she looked right up at the booth, grinned crookedly, and said, "So, did Muir Island call for the cavalry or do I need to do that too? I _am_ the cavalry, after all."

"They did not," Logan said, keeping a straight face. "Are you done?"

Chloe glanced around, then shook her head and headed to Tabitha to help her to her feet with an outstretched hand, wincing when she saw the telltale red tag that was double stopping Tabitha from her powers. "Ouch. Moira's gonna be mad when she sees you."

From there, Chloe ran through the paces — or started to, anyhow. The moment it was clear that she was pushing Tabitha toward the compound and thinking about back up, the sim suddenly ended. "Five minutes," Logan said, shaking his head at how she was using her sims as a chance to practice her _banter_ , too.

He pushed a little more with the next sim — taking her to Hala during the last war and putting her in a position to weed out the Shi'ar that were entrenched and lead out a small group of injured innocent Kree. It was a hard call — or at least, Logan was sure it was going to be a harder call for her to leave the fight and help the kids. But when she barely did a double take before moving to help the refugees, he let it play out to see how sneaky she could be.

"How you holdin' up?" Logan asked as he hesitated, one hand over the keyboard as he weighed out the next sim. "Wasn't too bad hidin' kids, was it?"

"Hey, I grew up in the cabins where everyone got hidden away during big fights; this part, I can do," Chloe said, smiling up at Logan in the booth.

"Never had to slip around the enemy, though," Logan said, looking deadly serious before he let out a breath, his head tipped slightly as he tried to decide … Mister or Miss….

"It's AP-level hiding," Chloe deadpanned.

"Hide and seek junior champ. Got it," Logan said with a smirk before he made his selection and met Chloe's gaze a heartbeat before, once again, the scenery in the Danger Room shifted, though it was totally alien to her when her eyes adjusted to gas-lamp lit sconces on stone-hewn walls with flagstones underfoot. "All I can give you here is that it's _half_ search and rescue."

"And just to clarify: Am I alone in this or has other backup been called in? I mean, after that first one, I'm not taking anything for granted…"

Logan thought about it for a moment, tipped his head, and made a small adjustment so that James and Krissy were slightly ahead of her, though Krissy looked wide-eyed and James was quietly testing the air. "This is what you have for now." He was doing a good job of hiding how glad he was to see her clarifying and _gently_ asking if she had help, so he saw no reason not to adjust the test accordingly.

Chloe nodded, tossing a "thanks" up toward the booth before she rushed to catch up with the other two, frowning when she saw how serious they both looked. "Who's missing?" she whispered to Krissy, since James was concentrated on his task.

"Elin, Cody, and your dad."

All at once, Chloe stopped, her stomach twisted up in knots. The _only_ clue her brothers had been willing to give her about the tests was that they took your fears and weaknesses and made you confront them, and with a list of missing like _that_ …

"Oh," she said, falling into step behind James.

It wasn't like she hadn't thought about this possibility. She'd been scared of it since she got her powers. Or, really, since before then. Since the first time Charlie had been grabbed. And there was still a big part of her that was convinced that one of these days, Sinister was going to decide Cody was too much of a hassle and he'd grab her for… well, a backup, she supposed. She knew she was skirting past danger because she was a _girl_ , but Elin was a girl too, and that hadn't stopped Sinister….

There was a surprisingly low presence of anyone trying to _stop_ the three of them as they worked through what felt like dungeons. Which should have been a real tip-off to Chloe: the fact that they hadn't seen any guards or soldiers or anything to oppose them … all the way up until James was bashed away from the two girls hard enough that they heard the rush of air leave him with the hit. The crack that followed echoed the hall and revealed to the girls a massive _wall_ of a man as he dragged James off by one arm. It was clear James had cracked his head on the stones hard if the smear of blood was anything to go by — but the Marauder didn't seem to notice that the girls were even there.

"That's creepy. I'm not the only one who thinks this is creepy, right?" Krissy whispered to Chloe before she teleported to James to try to 'port him out of danger. Which was when the Marauder finally _did_ pay attention to her, grabbing her tail and tossing her hard enough that she went head-first into the stairs and lay still.

Chloe was pale as she ran to check on Krissy, who was at least still breathing. But James was still in trouble, and her _family_ was still in trouble… She'd been grateful to Logan for giving her backup to face this particular fight, but now, she was almost shaking as she crept quietly after the Marauder who had James.

"Put him in the cell," a low, smooth voice instructed from down the hall. "I'll get to him in a moment."

Chloe didn't recognize the voice — not entirely. She'd heard her brothers talk about Sinister's tritone before, but this… this wasn't the Sinister the boys had encountered. This was a man as tall as her dad, pale as death, with the telltale red diamond…. He was huge, and he was scary, and he had all three of the missing people in his lab.

Cody and Elin were both restrained, and Chloe felt sick seeing the setup of tools beside both of them. Cody looked like he was hurt and panicking; she could hear his breathing from there. And Elin had been in the same boat until she saw James.

"Leave my brother _alone_ ," Elin snarled out, though that only earned her an impatient sigh and a disappointed-sounding tut.

"I _am_ , Miss Howlett," Sinister said. "For now. Pay attention, young lady."

Chloe was holding her breath as she watched Elin snarling at Sinister, though her attention didn't linger there long when she finally saw her dad… who was _hurt_. He was wearing some kind of helmet, something that kept him from his powers but also didn't seem to have a mechanism for him to _see_ , either. Which might have been why he wasn't restrained like Cody or Elin. But she could also see from his body language that he was _not_ okay, and that just had her on the verge of tears.

This was exactly what her dad and her brothers had said Sinister was like, and Chloe couldn't help but stand frozen in the shadows. Even though she _knew_ , logically, that this was a sim, that everyone was okay… This was the kind of nightmare she'd had since she was a kid.

"Do you plan to linger in doorways, Miss Summers?" Sinister said - without looking up at her. "I was under the impression that you were taught some basic manners."

Chloe couldn't find her voice at first, but when she saw that Cody was looking toward the doorway with an expression that said he was _scared_ for her, something finally clicked, and her mouth moved ahead of her brain. "Yeah, all the Hale girls know how to act properly," she said, stepping forward slightly with her gaze locked on her brother. "You don't, though."

"Chloe, no," Scott said quietly. "Get _out_."

"Not without you," she said — which she meant. She really did. She was just _petrified_.

"Come along now, Miss Summers," Sinister said, finally looking up at her with a wicked, pleased smile. "There's plenty of room for one more. This will go much easier if you don't display such distasteful attributes as your little friend Miss Howlett is doing." Even as he said it, Elin was growling out what exactly she was going to do to Sinister if given half a chance.

Chloe glanced toward Elin, at the table and the tools… and had to agree with Elin's assessment. "That's my sister," she said in a hoarse voice, finally finding something like a rallying moment to at least _try_ to fire a shot at Sinister.

"That's not exactly true anymore," Sinister said.

Chloe paused, the red glow in her eyes wavering. She started to shake her head, but when she saw the way her dad was slumped, completely defeated, she had to concentrate to get a breath. Though just when Logan might have stopped the sim when she was obviously on the brink of breaking down, Chloe lashed out with a shout that was downright _guttural_ and a blast that put Sinister through a wall.

"Not a bad start," Logan said, pausing the sim — and Chloe turned to find three Maurauders with their arms outstretched inches from her back.

Chloe's eyes were wide and her chest was heaving before she took a measured step back from the Marauders and _tried_ to get a hold of herself, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands when that wasn't working.

"You can't turn your back on the bodyguards," Logan said. "And you'll run dry if you go after Sinister like that."

"You're using the wrong one, though," Chloe pointed out. "Jana would be easier to break with a hit like that, even if she heals."

"We can talk about that in a minute, but I want you to keep going now. Take out the Marauders, then get one of your captives loose."

Chloe was surprised to hear it, but since she'd had the time to remind herself that this was a _test_ and not _real_ and that her brothers were both safe and alive and waiting to celebrate with her, she felt slightly more confident. She stretched out her hands, nodded, and then, as soon as the sim started up again, blasted the Marauders back and rushed toward Elin, figuring she'd let a grieving, newly-widowed sister-in-law inflict whatever justice she wanted on Sinister — and he'd deserve every second of it.

When Chloe had reasonably gotten the sim under control, everything faded out, and Logan hit the mic. "Don't go anywhere, we're not done yet." He didn't wait for her to respond before he headed down the stairs at a jog and made his way over to Chloe, who was still trying to wipe her eyes, more affected than she was allowing herself to be. "Now, sweetheart, I gotta tell you, I didn't use the wrong one. You need to know that up front."

"That's the one that stalked my dad when he was my age, though," Chloe pointed out, trying to hide her wet face with a wet towel.

Logan nodded. "There's more to it than that," he said, clearly agreeing with her. "I know Sinister's a thorn in your whole family's side, but what I think your brothers are focused on too much — and I don't want you to make the same mistake — is the _body_ he's using now. It's not his preferred form. He _had_ clones stashed all over the world. Empty living shells for him to step into .. that's what they look like. I'm guessin' it's only a matter of time before he ditches Jana and gets to something more _him_." He let his voice drop to a softer tone. "I don't want you blindsided."

Chloe nodded a few more times than was necessary and took a deep breath. "Sorry," she said, wiping her face. "It's stupid. I know it's a sim."

"We've spent decades makin' this damn room as realistic as possible. If it doesn't affect you, somethin's wrong."

"Yeah, Chance and Cody both came out looking like they'd been through it…" Chloe glanced up at Logan with a wry smile. "Please tell me they cried on you too or I'll feel like an idiot."

Logan smirked. "I'm not tellin' either way. But the records are there."

"I'll have to check them out once I'm on the team and have access to the test records," Chloe said, getting back some of her sparkle.

"Gotta finish your test first," Logan said.

Chloe nodded, getting to her feet and offering Logan a hand up too. "Thanks," she said. "That… that was rough."

"Shake it off. If I don't hit you hard, I didn't do my job." He turned away from her and simply headed back up to the booth for the final sim, since she was clearly wiped out anyhow.

Chloe once again nodded, waiting for Logan to get back up to the booth as the last of the sims started up. This one was the same one everyone got: the mansion trashed, police everywhere, the works.

At first, Chloe shot Logan a dirty look toward the booth, since she'd _just_ come from a Sinister sim, so seeing her friends and family dead wasn't doing her any favors. And she was admittedly a bit emotional about confronting the police officers looting around the mansion and making crude remarks, so she really should have seen it coming when she got "shot."

When Logan let her know she could retake it, though, Chloe took just a second to stand off to the side after the initial reset, resting her hand on part of a fallen wall near where Logan was laid out. She had to get a grip, and she had to _think_ , instead of reacting.

When she had her breath back, she looked around the place a little better, looking not at faces but at patterns of destruction. Something _big_ had come through and leveled the place. Something powerful enough to kill everyone there. And it _wasn't_ the police.

Chloe frowned. She didn't have enough information, and she knew it. So, as much as it pained her to admit it… "Is it just the mansion or is it city-wide?" she called up to Logan. "I mean… can I go into town and get more intel?"

Logan tipped his head at that. "One way to find out."

Chloe gestured widely with both hands, then stuck them in her pockets, grumbling to herself as she headed across the lawn in the shadows, not taking the driveway but still headed out. "Gonna make me do _research_ in a sim," she muttered, knowing Logan would hear it.

Until of course, the sim faded and the lights came up again.

Chloe's eyebrows shot up, and she spun to face the booth. "Wait, do I get a third try? I really thought I had it!"

"You don't need one," Logan said, going through the process to shut things down. "You're done."

Chloe tipped her head to the side. "So… getting more intel was the right call?"

"Getting away from the trouble when you don't know enough and can't get any back up is the right call. Call it what you want, but nothin' good was gonna come out of stickin' around."

Chloe nodded as she went to grab her water bottle, thinking over the sim and the test as a whole before she couldn't help but ask, "So… did I pass?"

Logan let out a breath. "You need work on a few areas, but everyone does," he said. "Yeah. You passed, but more importantly — that last sim? Last person to get it that quick was Krissy — and she was the first to get it that fast."

"Really?" Chloe's expression lit up, the lingering effects of the second-to-last sim gone when she heard it.

"Your dad even took four tries."

Chloe's smile widened even more, and she bounced in place slightly before she did a quick fist pump and all but skipped out the door.


	10. Double Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BACK TO THE FLUFF

"So, no visions of doom and gloom today?" Chance asked, honestly serious as he and Elin met up with Vanessa and James for a double date.

"Not yet," Vanessa said. "The day isn't over, though, so you know how it is …"

He nodded. "Yeah, keep up the paranoia. That's what happens when you date into this family," he said with a small smile.

James reached over and smacked the back of Chance's head. "What?"

"Hey, I've been doing paranoia drills with you two since I was fourteen. This is solid," Chance pointed out.

"Oh, _just_ since you were fourteen?" James said with a scoff. "Rookie."

"Wasn't born into it," Chance said with an easy shrug.

"That's why the Summerses are so irritated," Elin said to James. "Trying to catch up."

Chance rolled his eyes at that before he leaned into Vanessa. "So, hey, Charlie and Gerry. I'm not even going to try and segue; I just want to know if I should buy a shotgun on my sister's behalf or something."

"Did you seriously …" James let out a breath. "If this is what you're up to … I'm gonna have to say 'figure it out yourself.'"

Chance grinned James' way. "Come on, you can't blame a guy for being protective of his _twin sister_."

James crossed his arms. "Do you really think for one second that Charlie would waste her time on Gerry if he didn't _feel_ the way he does?"

"I think she didn't even know he cared as deeply as he does for a long time, so yeah, she can be a little blind when it comes to him," Chance pointed out. "She likes him. A lot."

"And now she knows," James said. "But she missed it because she was looking for a _crush._ I heard all about it."

"Okay, just checking," Chance said. "Because all I get with the brother-sister conversations is that she's madly in love, and I don't want the blind spot to be an issue, you know?"

"More than I got to hear," James said, half glaring Elin's way, though she simply let out a sigh and took the handful of steps to kiss his cheek. "I still think I need to offer to break your legs or something."

"Yeah, don't break anything please," Chance said with a smirk.

"Don't do anything stupid and we'll be just fine," James said.

"Alright, that's a beautiful snarly protective …. Whatever," Elin said. "But that's not what we're here for - you need to get out of the house before you start sounding _more_ like Tony Stark. Get out. Have fun with Charlie and Gerry."

"You're a terrible big sister," James said in a perfectly serious tone.

"Where do you think they'd want to go?" Vanessa asked. "I really haven't spent much time with Gerry yet."

"He loves pizza," Chance said. "New York style. His dad knows, like, half the pizzerias in the area."

Vanessa looked excited and simply agreed on the spot, not even waiting for any further suggestions to simply text Charlie and ask if they wanted to double. Which, of course, got a positive response in about the time it took Charlie to read and respond.

 _Pick a weekend — that's when we both have time off from school,_ Charlie wrote.

 _We're totally open on the weekends,_ Vanessa replied. _Outside of the team practices for James._

_Perfect. Let's do this Saturday._

Vanessa beamed as she responded with an affirmative. "We're on for this Saturday," she said, to the other three in the room.

"That was fast," Chance said, though he wasn't surprised, rather smirking to himself.

"You knew she'd jump on it," James said, shaking his head.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, I did," Chance said.

James narrowed his eyes at him for a moment before he let out a little sigh. "Fine. I'll work him over for you."

"You're such a good brother-in-law, have I mentioned?" Chance said with a smile.

"No."

"Well, you are."

"I have to give her the new mock-up for Amy anyhow," James said, though he looked almost irritated still.

"More directed?" Chance asked.

James nodded. "More directed — has a lot more controls as far as fine measures, and it's got the new attempt at a way to let her kind of input her search? It's … stupid to explain."

"I'm sure she'll understand it," Chance said.

"Your new guns are ready, by the way," James said.

Chance broke into a grin at that. "Thanks, James."

"Took a little longer to add in my security features than I thought it would without putting on too much weight."

"Whatcha got this time?" Chance asked.

"Just that DNA encoded shock. It'll zap anyone that's not on your list," James said. "I made it strong enough to take down, well … a better than average healer. Not … someone in our family. But a step up from normal."

Chance grinned at that. "Awesome."

James watched him for just a moment. "O...kay … come on, I'll show you how to program them."

It didn't take the boys too long to get situated, and when they returned, Elin and Vanessa were sitting together, nearly touching heads as they discussed something quiet and low.

"You two want to be alone?" Chance teased.

"Only if you need more time to bask in my brother's … whatever," Elin said.

Chance chuckled as he sat down next to her and kissed her cheek. "Nah, already made it clear which one's my favorite in the family," he said without moving, with his lips brushing against her cheek.

"It's only because I turned down his proposal," James said without missing a beat.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened," Chance said, though he had started to kiss Elin's jawline now that he'd gotten started.

"Okay. So, this was our space," James said in a decidedly more irritated tone. "You need to leave if you can't keep yourself from sucking off her face. Unless you want me to beat you back."

Chance smirked and gave Elin one last kiss before he turned toward James. "Jealous."

"Still mad that I didn't get the whole actual story before you two started this whole … ugh."

"What were you missing? The part you rescued us from in Canada or the part where I kept asking until she said yes…"

"I just took everyone at their word and then I came home to this," James said. "Making me reconsider things."

"I'm so very sorry that my being married to your sister is messing with your head," Chance said in a tone that said he wasn't really.

"Whatever," James said with a wave. "Go … play with your guns."

"He wants to go and just … find a cabin for a while," Vanessa said.

"Go with him," Chance suggested.

"You're in _that_ group, aren't you?" she asked.

"What group?"

"The ones that are pushing for the next couple."

"Can't I give advice without my intentions being questioned?" Chance asked.

"No," Elin said, laughing. "You can't."

"Well that's too bad, because finding a good cabin with someone you like…"

"I want to, but I'm not going to, okay?" James said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Because I might not come back if I do."

Chance frowned at that. "Oh, yeah, 'kay, don't do that."

Elin gave James an understanding sort of look and squeezed his arm. "It'll pass. Eventually." She winked Vanessa's way and then got to her feet. "You two have fun. Let me know if you need anything before the double date." She looked toward Chance and tipped her head toward the door. "Unless you want to stay and pester them, I'm going now. To give them a little more privacy. That they don't need. Because they are always alone."

Chance chuckled as he got up and offered her his hand. "I'll put off the pestering for now," he teased lightly.

"Or transfer it …"

He grinned at that and pulled her into a quick kiss. "Maybe."

* * *

"So, I'm assuming this is a safe bet, since 'Nessa's here too," Gerry said with a smile as he and Charlie met up with James and Vanessa. He had Charlie's hand in one of his and was running his thumb absently over her knuckles, because he could tell she was a little nervy, all things considered. "Stop scanning," he muttered her way.

"No," she muttered right back, earning a little grin from Gerry as he shook his head at her.

"Oh, yeah, this is going to be no fun if you can't relax," James said before they got all the way to them.

"I try to tell her that, but it's a losing battle," Gerry said, though when Charlie gave him a dry look, he kissed her cheek, and she couldn't help but smile at him anyway.

"I'm trying to keep you alive, you idiot," she said, shaking her head at him.

Gerry gestured grandly at Vanessa. "What do you think, 'Nessa? Am I dying today?"

"I think … that he got the drop on us last time," she said. "But … I also know that we were somewhere that there were a lot of strong scents."

"Perfume and cologne are evil," James said.

"And with James and Charlie _and_ Vanessa… I'm safe as houses," Gerry said with a shrug.

"Still gonna scan for bad guys," Charlie said.

Gerry smiled her way and leaned in toward James with his eyebrows raised. "I think she likes me."

"If you're expecting me to confirm or deny, you're barking up the wrong tree," James said.

"Like I don't already know," Gerry said easily, squeezing Charlie's hand.

"I'm sorry about him. He aced his microbio final last night, and I think he's still riding the exhaustion of all the cramming," Charlie stage whispered to the other two.

James looked him up and down and just started to nod slowly. "That's what happens when you wait to cram."

"Hey, I had three finals this week. One of them had to get put off."

"And?" James teased. "Like it's hard?"

"And not everyone is a super genius, you twit," Gerry chuckled.

"Well, pick one or the other," James said as they headed for the Jeep. "Can't be both."

"Oh, leave him alone," Charlie said, rolling her eyes at James.

"You're right. He's getting picked on way too hard by a guy my age. It's just not fair." James shot her a grin and tipped his chin up at Gerry. "So … where are we headed?"

Charlie rolled her eyes even harder at him as she threaded her arm through Gerry's. "Gerry's favorite pizzeria," she said.

"You got it, Miss Daisy," James said with a nod.

Gerry chuckled when Charlie kept rolling her eyes. "Aww, leave him alone, Lottie," he muttered to her, and she shoved him in the shoulder as they headed off.

She should have known better, though, as the picking kept up right up through getting their pizza until she was just leaning against Gerry's chest with his arm around her shoulder and wondering whose idea it was to give her front row tickets to both of them being _ridiculous_.

"Have the two of you talked over the new changes to Amy?" Vanessa asked, ignoring the boys for the time being.

"Not yet," Charlie admitted. "I just got the new version, and then you know how it is when it's midterm season."

Vanessa nodded at that. "Well … you know he's been working with Mr. Stark a lot on weapons development, and _I_ was wondering … do you have on offensive ability, or is it all monitoring?"

Charlie blinked at Vanessa in surprise before she shook her head lightly. "No, it's not offensive. I can only tell you what you're feeling."

Vanessa smiled a little wider. "Are you sure?"

"Well, if you're a Howlett and allergic to talking about your feelings, I suppose it could be considered that way," Charlie said before she'd really thought about it — just because all the picking had been flying so hard.

Vanessa started to laugh at that. "They're not allergic; they're just very quiet about it."

"Uh-huh."

She leaned closer to Charlie with a troublemaking grin. "And … the truth is, they think that the body language is enough to convey it."

"Well, that's ridiculous," Charlie scoffed. "Not everyone has the same body language, and _tone_ is important too."

"I guess … just watch for yourself," Vanessa suggested.

"I have been. My whole life. Trying to figure out how to know _why_ everyone feels the way they do," Charlie said. "They're just subtle and think they're screaming."

"Now, that might just be impossible without being telepathic," Vanessa said. "Though … yes, they're usually more subtle than they think."

Charlie let out a sigh. "It's half the reason our dads get into fights," she confided. "Though I have the advantage knowing how very, very emotional they are."

"Tenderhearted little things," Vanessa said quietly.

"But we love them anyway," Charlie said with obvious affection in her tone.

Vanessa beamed her way, though it seemed the boys had lost interest in their chat. "What now?" James grumbled.

"We can't get along?" Charlie asked him brightly.

"I am starting to regret doing this thing," James said.

"Hear that, Lottie? You're scary," Gerry teased Charlie.

"I'm always scary," Charlie teased. "So very, very scary. Me and my books and my quiet."

"So what do you two want to do now that we've successfully had pizza and not died?" Vanessa said with a bright smile.

"Well, we could go window shopping for costumes, seeing as our actual day-of Halloween costumes are going to be wedding-wear this year," Gerry offered. "I wanna see Lottie in a fake mustache, personally."

"I want to see _you_ grow a real one," James said with a smirk.

"Not if he wants me to keep kissing him," Charlie said without missing a beat.

"Yeah, sorry, James; girlfriend trumps teammate," Gerry said easily.

"Yeah, I'm not broken up over it," James promised.

"Good, because I'm no good at letting people down easy," Gerry said.

James shook his head at that and pointedly ignored Gerry. "When you have time, we're going to need to figure out the final version of your silly necklace."

"It works wonderfully, really," Charlie said. "It's accurate and it's directed, and it's what I need it to be."

"Yeah …. But I think we might be able to make it better," James said slowly. "If I can get it to store a few 'songs,' it might be feasible to make it hone in on one person on a broad search without the feedback."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty ambitious, especially since people's songs change over time," she said.

He nodded. "Yeah, but that's why I wanted to figure out how to catalogue the steadier ones. I know everyone changes — but there has to be a point where they keep the same basic background, right?"

She nodded. "Usually," she said. "Big life changes tend to shift things, though. Like… Cody's got a little more… brassy after that first time he thought Chance was dead."

"Yeah, that's not fitting at _all_ ," James said in his most sarcastic tone.

"I said it got _more_ brassy," Charlie said. "More like a band than a jazz piece."

James nodded as he thought it over. "I still think there has to be a way to save you some misery."

Charlie couldn't help but smile his way. "I didn't say it was impossible; I just said it was ambitious."

He met her gaze and let out a breath. "You're right. I should find someone else to work on it. Seeing as ambitious is out of my range."

She laughed at that. "So, what do I need to tell you about the songs to translate it into tech terms?" she asked.

"We can figure it out next time you have a free afternoon," James said with a little wave. "I'll see if I can find something that can show the difference between one person and another — then we'll hit a way to purposely isolate it."

Charlie nodded. "And I'll pay a little closer attention, see if I can find a way to describe it that makes sense outside of musical terms."

He shrugged lightly. "On the flip side, it might just be a matter of finding a way to let you filter out the background noise once you're focused on remembering the tune. So to speak."

"True," she said, looking thoughtful. "Maybe you could follow me through finding someone like my brother — I mean, they both get in trouble often enough that you know they're going to be on the list of predetermined searches."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and held her gaze. "Don't know if I have the tech for that yet."

"Well, I can wait," she said. "But if you're looking for a way to isolate songs, that might work, right? Seeing the patterns, the moment I can isolate a song?"

He nodded slowly. "Maybe. That would at least test out what I can come up with."

Charlie grinned at that. "Great. And in the meantime, I'll keep paying attention, see if I can give you a less right-brained explanation of how people feel."

"Right-brained is fine," James promised. "I'm just trying to think of ways to convert it. Don't worry about it."

At that, Gerry leaned over to Vanessa with a warm smile. "Don't you love it when they talk shop?"

"If you want to be honest, yes I do," she said, nodding. "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he trashes before even considering talking to someone about it."

"She's the same way," Gerry said. "Perfectionist."

"I'd like to say I don't do that, but it would be a lie," she admitted. "That's how I got the internship that I did. Being so picky."

"Then it's a good thing at least one of us here isn't _quite_ like that," Gerry said, then paused. "Though… admittedly, my mom gave me a pretty good dose of it, not to mention that streak with Viper. Gotta get it _right_ …"

"I'm sure you're happy that she's gone now," Vanessa said much softer.

Gerry let his expression drop for a moment and then nodded. "I really am," he said, matching her volume. "When I heard she was gone, it was like… I could breathe again, and I hadn't even noticed I was holding my breath, you know?"

She nodded. "I do know what you mean," she said. "It happens all the time when something I've seen _doesn't_ happen."

"You must be holding your breath a lot," Gerry said. "Sorry 'bout your luck."

"It comes in waves," Vanessa said, regaining her smile before she leaned forward. "Just be careful not to go anywhere without a button."

"If you think Lottie lets me out the door without a button and a comm, you're less paranoid than she is," Gerry whispered.

She smiled a little wider at that. "I like that name for her," Vanessa told him. "It's sweet. And you two haven't been official for very long, have you?"

Gerry shook his head lightly. "Not really, no," he said. "But I've always called her that."

"I haven't been around long enough to know," Vanessa pointed out. "And no one else calls her that."

"Yeah, I'm not really sure when I started calling her that," Gerry admitted with a sheepish smile. "I think when I heard a teacher at school call her 'Charlotte', it was like... 'Oh, that's her _real_ name?', and it just kind of… happened."

Vanessa smiled wider. "Do you have any sweet plans you need help with for Christmas yet?"

Gerry looked over to see that James and Charlie were still waist-deep in their own little discussions before he broke into a huge grin and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I was thinking I'd get her a set of Professor Xavier's writings. Not the peaceful coexistence stuff; I mean his psychological work. The _early_ days."

She grinned at that and started to nod. "Oh, yes, she'd adore that. She still talks about the little trip that her brother took her on."

"Pretty sure it changed her life," Gerry agreed. "I keep telling her - next time she goes time traveling, I want to come too."

"You'd do more than just time travel, though," Vanessa laughed.

"Is that a promise?" he teased.

"You tell me," she replied.

He laughed at that and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'd want to get involved in just about everything. Uncle Billy's seen other dimensions; that might be cool too."

"You'll see more than you want to if you stay with the team," Vanessa promised as she patted his arm.

"Yeah, but for now, it's all new and shiny, and I'm going to enjoy it," Gerry replied. "I've got time to turn into my stepmom later." He smirked and did his best Natasha impression. "'I'm just trying to give you the chance I didn't have to grow up.'"

"She's done well with you all," Vanessa said. "And she's really been enjoying her time with Sadie. It's almost scary."

"She loves ballet," Gerry said with a fond smile. "You know Zoe and Nikki both can do it, too. I've seen Nikki pull off some _spectacular_ lifts."

Vanessa nodded. "I've seen a few of the times that they came to dance with Sadie."

Gerry leaned back and tipped his head her way. "You really like 'em, don't you? I mean, the whole family. It's really sweet."

"I do," she said with a cheerful sort of smile. "They're nice to be around more often than not."

"Probably why you and Lottie get along so well," Gerry said. "She adores that whole family, even if she fights with them half the time."

"They are a lot of fun …" Vanessa let out a breath. "The pranks …"

" _That_ is the best part of hanging out with James," Gerry said with a wide grin.

"We'll just have to disagree on that," Vanessa teased.

"Well, look at my dad…" Gerry said with an easy smile.

"What about him?" Vanessa asked. "I don't know too much about him. Or … really anyone that doesn't come down to James' lab."

"Well, I mean, he's the original Hawkeye," Gerry said. "Pretty much runs on pizza and jokes. Big fan of purple." He gestured to himself. "I'm a dead ringer, if that helps."

She nodded at that. "I've heard a few stories, some of them from Mr. Stark."

"Oh, he's biased. Dad tried to kill him a few times," Gerry said with a smirk. "Would have, too, if he wasn't so distracted by Nat."

"He very likely deserved it," Vanessa laughed. "He can be horrible sometimes. But … he's got a real soft spot too."

"He does," Gerry agreed. "I grew up in Avengers Tower; believe me, I know."

She smiled warmly at him for that. "So … what's the best way you've found to break up the way these two are tossing ideas back and forth?"

"Well, I usually start throwing things at the back of Lottie's head, but I've been told that's childish and immature," Gerry laughed.

"I was going to suggest you try kissing her," Vanessa said with a troublemaking smile. "That usually works for the other one."

"Also an excellent suggestion," Gerry said, following through by reaching over to grab Charlie by the arm and pull her into a solid kiss that clearly surprised her — though she ended up running with it all the same.


	11. Pretty Little Summers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe's first team practice (and Kaleb's, too) goes not at all like she expected.

For Kaleb and Chloe, it was the first team practice that they'd been to since they made the junior squad, and it was obvious that neither of them could stop grinning.

Since they were the two newest team members, that also meant that they had lockers next to each other, which meant that Kaleb had been hitting Chloe's shoulder with his as they finished suiting up. "So, how long do you think it'll be before you're running things around here?" he couldn't help but tease her, since it looked like she was nervous grinning rather than doing the excited grinning thing like he was.

Chloe pushed him back, though he could see that she was fighting a smile at the corner of her mouth. "It's our first practice, Kaleb; I want to get it right."

"That's what _practice_ is for," Kaleb said, leaning over until he was resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's for practicing. You don't have to get it perfect right off the bat."

"Aren't you nervous?"

Kaleb shrugged. "I was nervous for the tests," he admitted. "But we _made_ it. Can't we be excited about that?" He leaned a little more until he could kiss her cheek. "Please?"

She couldn't help but shake her head at him. "You never stop, do you?"

"Never ever," he said with a wide, steadily growing smile.

Chloe smiled at him. "Come on," she said as she got to her feet.

Kaleb smiled as he followed the curly-headed brunette to the Danger Room, but before they got to the practice session that Elin and Chance were running together, he made it a point to snag Chloe and steal a kiss outright, then grin at her. "For luck," he said before he teleported away to where the rest of the team was gathered, leaving her blushing and staring after him.

"Not supposed to sabotage your own teammate, Fuzzy," James called out when he saw the shade that Chloe had turned.

"It's not sabotage if I'm trying to get her to _relax_ ," Kaleb said with an easy smile.

"It is if it does the opposite," James countered.

Kaleb looked back toward where Chloe was still blushing bright red and then smiled, teleported over, and grabbed her hand to teleport her back to the rest of the team. "You've got this, Chloe," he told her with a smile.

"You are _evil_ ," she finally managed to say, halfway hiding behind her bangs.

"It has to come out sometimes," Kaleb said.

"Alright, you have plenty of time to flirt when you're not supposed to be working with the team," Elin said, though she was sure to shoot a little warning look Chance's way. "We have a few sims to get through, if it's not too much trouble."

"Go right ahead," Kaleb said with a smile, though he was still giving Chloe's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Elin smiled his way. "Perfect, then you can work with Cody to start with."

Cody smirked at that. "I like this plan."

Elin smiled wider at Cody and turned back to the rest of the group. "Everyone else, find your partners … we're going to try to disperse a crowd of protesters."

"Mind if I steal you?" Chloe asked James, seeing as Kaleb's partner had already been chosen.

"Nope," James said, trying to give her a little smirk. "I'm game for trying something new if you are."

"Well, it's my first practice. Everything is new," Chloe said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

He did smirk at that. "I know. And Elin won't make it horrible, I promise. Or I'll work her over."

Chloe couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, James," she said as the sim started up and the junior squad was faced with several protesters in the familiar purple clothing that meant a lot of them were Superior Rising fans.

The crowd was restless. Elin didn't have control of how the sim was configured as far as who was where when it started up, since it was a randomized start, but it didn't take long for the Superior Rising people to try to start something.

Cameras were everywhere, and of course, they gravitated toward the most recognizable team members — in an outright attempt to get them on film at their protest. Which was a different angle then they were trained for — which was to settle out unruly crowds that wanted to hurt them.

Of course, Chance's experience in this sim was still exactly that. And it quickly became a team exercise in 'save the human teammate'.

"Enjoying being the damsel?" Sying teased when he was the first to catch up to Chance when he inevitably found himself surrounded.

"Oh, shut up," Chance said, rolling his eyes, but that just had Sying chuckling as he ran a few quick circles, pushing people back and grabbing anything that could be used as a weapon out of people's hands.

"We could play keep-away," Krissy said with a smirk as she appeared in a poof of purple.

"Kris-"

But whatever Chance was going to argue didn't work out too well for him, as one blue poof later, Kaleb had brought him to where he and Cody were on the edges of the crowd. "That's fun," Kaleb said, though by that point, Chance was just shaking his head and running with it.

James and Chloe had found a little niche to fill — keeping the path open for the others — and though it had started out as a very simple crowd control thing, the resemblance to his father gave James a little bit of trouble. Try as he might, he was soon being mobbed for their PR purposes. It wasn't helpful that part of the mission for them on the crowd control angle meant that they weren't supposed to fight these people outright.

"I can blast a literal line in the sand if you want," Chloe told James as she pushed her way through the mob to get back to him.

"I'm ninety percent sure that would break our rules of engagement," James said as he pushed someone away from himself. "But if you can come up with a reasonable way to do it without starting a riot or drawing their grabby hands to you …"

"I mean, a giant trench between us and them would be too obvious, right?" Chloe said with a smirk.

"Only if you could fill it with alligators," James drawled out. "That _would_ be too obvious. But … seeing as some of these morons seem to think I'm cute, feel free to laser face whatever the hell you want."

Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at that before she narrowed her eyes and then blasted a line of red between James and a bunch of the protesters.

There were a few moments where the crowd parted — and then headed right for her, shouting to her — half of them waving cell phones and snapping pictures. But that seemed to be the tipping point. Since Chloe was younger, James and several of the others felt as though hands on her meant they were justified in kicking the crap out of people to keep their path clear.

In particular, Cody made it a point to blast several of the rioters several feet backwards whenever they got close enough to put hands on her — anyone that James didn't get to, of course — and a blue poof later, Kaleb arrived to grab her by the hand and teleport her to the nearest roof with a whispered, "You're beautiful bait, Chloe, but we'd all like to see you in one piece."

"Save the one liners for when she's out of the line of fire," James half snarled — though it still looked as if Cody was more irritated.

Kaleb couldn't help but smirk as he held onto Chloe's hand a little tighter, and from there, it was a game of staying ahead of the crowd, disappearing and reappearing several times, while Krissy and Sying had gotten Chance out of the worst of the attention as well.

And with Chloe gone, Cody had more or less opened up, knocking over several protesters with a wide beam before he snarled at the nearest camera, "Hands off."

But the cameraperson nearest James was an actual news reporter, and the man managed to almost corner James with a camera and a microphone to ask, "Did you learn your escalation tactics from your father?"

"Excuse me?" James said, not at all expecting to be addressed, let alone like that.

"I was under the impression the X-Men preach peace, but if you think snarls and violence are necessary for a little crowd control…"

James paused for just an instant before he worked up a reasonably appropriate glare. "I think that when a crowd full of grabby strangers puts their hands on an underage girl, yes. Yes. This is appropriate. Unless you condone that kind of thing?"

"Half your junior squad is underage, and when you're doing crowd control, you have to know things might get physical."

"That doesn't make it acceptable for them to be manhandled," James replied as he kept the protesters at bay without anything close to what Logan was known for. "And for the record, yes, my father taught me to stand up for women and kids."

"That's one way to put it," the reporter said with a nod before he turned his attention back to the camera to report on the riot going on.

By then, the protesters were starting to disperse, though — between the blasts from Cody and the fact that Gerry was going around blacking out the light around all their cameras so they couldn't get anything at all out of their footage whir the rest of the team simply worked together to break things up.

And when the sim shimmered out, leaving them standing there, it was clear that they were done. "Okay, that really wasn't horrible," Elin said as they started to regroup in the center of the room. She turned to Chance, since he had the most time out and watching the others.

Chance nodded his agreement and then tipped his head toward James. "Way to handle the reporter," he said. "Cody, you gotta be careful about being caught on camera that mad."

"Yeah, you could have mentioned that might be an issue," James said.

"Big protest like that? Yeah, there's gonna be cameras," Chance pointed out.

"Not the cameras," James said. "There is nothing over here …" He gestured to himself as a whole, "... that says 'hi. Come talk to me'."

"You look like your father," Chloe said quietly. "And it happens to him a lot too."

"Who is oh, so friendly," James replied, crossing his arms.

"Honestly, the reporter was set to go toward whoever was in that area at a set time," Chance admitted. "Sometimes, you're just in the wrong place. Sorry, man."

"Noted," James said, though he didn't look overly amused with the prospects.

"Krissy, Kaleb, you did good to get the focus of the attention out of the middle of things," Chance added. "Maybe a little less taunting the protesters and a little more in-and-out, though."

"Aw, but they get all worked up when we take their toys," Krissy said with a troublemaking smile.

"And it _is_ a good distraction," Chloe said. "I saw Sying disabling cameras while they were trying to figure out where you were."

Sying gestured toward Chloe with a grin. "I like her."

"You were a good distraction too," Kaleb told Chloe with a smile.

"I wasn't _trying_ to be," Chloe muttered.

"We do need to brush up on our nonviolent crowd control, but for the most part… crisis averted, team," Chance said with a grin. "Nice job."

When the group all began to file out — with Cody teasing Kaleb about how he very nearly got blasted himself, James held back to take just a second to talk to Chloe. "Hey, you alright? I've seen that particular flavor of unhappy a few times before."

Chloe blinked up at him in surprise and then pushed her sweaty bangs out of her face. "I'm fine," she said. "I just wasn't expecting that for my first practice, that's all."

"Which part?" James asked.

She shrugged. "I … guess I was expecting something … blastable," she said quietly.

"Well, that'd be easy," James replied. "Can't let you show Cody up first time out."

Chloe smirked. "No, much better to let him get all … protective big brother," she said, shaking her head.

"Ah," James said, nodding. "Well. If it makes you feel any better, we all have to play damsel in distress. All the time."

"Yeah, but…" Chloe gestured at the group behind them. "I'm the _baby sister_ of the group."

"That won't last forever," James promised. "Someone younger will come in, and they'll all get super stupid protective."

"I guess," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You know, when I tested in, it was more about… I got to blast Sinister. That … was nicer."

"Was that my dad's test or yours?"

"Yours," she said. "He knows I've been scared of her since I was a kid. But … I did get in a few good hits, honestly."

"He wanted to make sure you could handle the worst stuff," James said. "Whatever it is he thinks would screw you up the worst — that's what he throws at everyone."

"Well, it turns out I do worse at playing damsel in distress than facing the monster under my bed," Chloe said with a small smile. "What does that say about me?"

"That the monsters better watch their backs," James said before he leaned forward. "I actually had Dad laughing at the end of my test."

"How?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide.

James smirked crookedly at her. "You know how he lets you do the wrecked school sim as many times as you want?" He shrugged. "Well … I wasn't looking at it right, and I memorized where all the crap was supposed to go down — and worked it until he killed it. Never did do it 'the right way'."

Chloe couldn't help but laugh at that. "I did a little bit of that myself," she admitted. "Tried to find something 'new' every time, based on the failures on the previous one."

He nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly what I did, but then when I couldn't put it together, I decided to just … take them all out in order of who was worst. He killed it … oh … not long after I blew up the helicopter." James gave her a little smile.

"I never got a helicopter," she admitted. "I figured it out more or less on accident. I tried leaving… I was honestly trying to find the edges of the sim and see if there was backup or intel there, but I guess it looked like retreating, because he counted it."

"At least he didn't have to _explain it to you._ "

"Even super geniuses can get it wrong," she said with a small smile. "That's kind of comforting to know, actually."

"Not sure it has anything to do with that," James said. "More of the 'don't know when to quit', I think."

Chloe smiled and leaned forward. "Me neither."

"Too bad for everyone else," James said. "But — hey. Thanks. I don't think anyone's tried to save me since the first practice or two."

"I wasn't going to let them run you over," Chloe said.

"I can handle it if it comes down to it," James told her with a little frown.

"I know, but you don't have to when you're on a team," Chloe said. "The whole point is not to get to the point where it 'comes down to it'."

"I appreciate the sentiment," James said as they headed out finally. "But if you were smart, you'd nail Kaleb before he makes a game out of getting you riled."

Chloe blushed and shook her head. "No, no, he's just _like_ that," she said. "He was kissing Sadie yesterday."

"I know," James said. "I'm just saying — strike first. You're supposed to be a tactician, right? Well … all's fair in love and war, right?"

"This isn't either of those things," Chloe said, though her cheeks were still fairly pink.

"And everything in the middle too," James said.

"He just caught me off-guard," Chloe said.

"I know," James said. "And I'm telling you — catch _him_ off guard. He thinks it's hilarious to get the girls off-kilter. He needs someone to give it back to him."

Chloe bit her lip. "I'll — I'll think about it," she said.


	12. A Midnight Affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MORE WEDDING FLUFFERY!

The whole mansion was a rush of activity on Halloween for the big wedding party, with those involved in the big day wearing hats with ostrich feathers and swords at their hips. Storm had come to Westchester to make sure that the weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding - a little bit breezy but not so much that anyone would lose the hats, and just warm enough that no one was going to be shivering outside, either.

Noh was in fine form, of course, and had already set up all the music ahead of time so that he could be part of the celebrations — starting off the night with a beautiful dance between Krissy and Sying after the two of them made their triumphant appearance, decked all in white and beaming delightedly. Krissy's dress and Sying's long coattails spun out behind them both as they danced.

But it was an entirely different story once Krissy got hold of her dad to dance with him. The wedding hadn't even happened yet — they were doing all the celebrations first — and already, it was obvious he was emotional. And when he recognized the old German song, that was it — he was just holding onto Krissy tight and clearly not at _all_ ready to give her away.

Krissy held onto Kurt just as tight and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek with a smile — unable to handle Kurt getting emotional, especially on her behalf.

While Kurt danced with Krissy, Jubilee was spinning around with Sying — and she wasn't bothering to pretend she wasn't enthusiastically emotional, tickled to tears as she gave up halfway through the song and simply wrapped Sying up in a hug for the rest of the dance.

For as important as family was to both of them, they had also put aside a song so that they could switch up and dance with each other's parents. Kate danced with Sying, and Noh spun Krissy out into a grinning dance, as Kate reminded Sying that he was marrying into craziness and Noh mostly just told Krissy that he was thrilled to have her in the family.

But once the pair of them had completely and totally emotionally assassinated their parents, it was time for the party to really get going — since Krissy wanted to keep her bouquet for the ceremony itself, so they'd do the throwing part at the very, very end.

Melody and Celeste were, of course, _thrilled_ to pieces with the wedding. Celeste even got up the nerve to ask Jayce to dance with her, and Melody couldn't help but grin as she watched her sister dancing, helping things along with little psychic suggestions to anyone that might cut in to go ask someone else.

"So, are you going to ask somebody too or are you just going to grin like a lunatic?" Ael asked as he came to sit down beside Melody, following her gaze to where Celeste was dancing with the blonde. "You could probably ask his blonde buddy. Tristan will dance with you."

"You just want us to find someone so we'll stop getting wrapped up in weddings," Melody said.

"Um. Yes. Please."

Melody smirked and reached over to ruffle Ael's hair, though he quickly pushed her off. "I'll go ask Tristan, since it's _so_ important to you."

Ael just waved his hand at her as she went off to find Jayce's partner in crime, and Malin took Melody's place beside Ael not long after. "Hey, Aunt Malin," he said.

"Hello," she said with a little smile. "Whatcha doing over here?"

"Well, I _was_ just going to enjoy the beach, but my sisters are being ridiculous," Ael said, shaking his head. "As usual."

She nodded along with that. "You sound surprised somehow? But I don't understand _why_."

"I really shouldn't be, but I was sort of hoping that since this is the last wedding… they'd be _done_."

She started to giggle at that. "Well. Can't say you're not an optimist."

"Do you think it's catching?" Ael asked with one eyebrow raised and a muted little smirk.

"Around here? I sure hope not," Malin said, pulling a spectacular face.

"Well, that's probably learned behavior too," Ael said. He leaned back and tucked his hands behind his head. "We're all going to Hala next month, so if they're going to be ridiculous, I'm hoping they get it all out _now_."

"That sounds like it could be fun," Malin said thoughtfully. "Watching the whole of Hala look at them as if they were daft."

Ael snorted out a little laugh. "I'll take pictures," he promised.

"Might teach them a little humility," Malin said with a smirk.

"We'll see," Ael said. "They've been before. They've just… well. They've never been with their new _sister-in-law_ right after a _wedding_ , and they…."

"Gotten horrible the older they've gotten?"

"Yeah." He shook his head. "I guess I don't get it. What's the big deal?"

"Just the whole … hopelessly in love thing," Malin said. "Or in their cases, in love with being in love."

"Your dad says they take after Mom that way," Ael said.

"And who do you think she tends to favor?" Malin said, tipping her head to where her parents were wrapped up in a tight slow dance.

"Good point," Ael said, though he was distracted from his conversation when a precocious Santiago Chavez made his way over to the two of them to grin at Malin.

"Come dance with me!" he declared.

Malin smiled at him. "Alright then," she said. "Did someone send you over?"

"My moms said I should ask Ael, but he looked too grumpy to dance, so I decided to ask you instead," he admitted, kicking the ground slightly. "Is that okay?"

Malin turned to Ael. "I don't mind if you want to go, but if you don't …." She turned to Santiago "It's absolutely okay."

Ael waved her forward. "He asked you. Go ahead."

"Come back for him, then?" she suggested to Santiago. "Give him a minute to prepare."

Sanitago broke into an impish grin and nodded. "I'll get you next time!" he promised Ael enthusiastically before he pulled Malin out to dance — a little stronger than he probably should have, but not too horrible.

She laughed all the way through their dance, and before she handed him off to Ael, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the spin!"

"My pleasure!" he said before dragging Ael off to dance.

America and Lucy, of course, were tickled watching their little boy enthusiastically dancing with everyone once they'd given him a little push, though America was far more interested in teasing Kate and Kurt. "She's nothing like you, Princess," she said, bumping her shoulder against Kate's and indicating Krissy and Sying. " _She_ was ready to get married literally _the first day she could_."

Kate rolled her eyes at America. "To be fair, she knew him _way_ longer than I knew Kurt."

"And your old-fashioned old man found a way to swing an arranged marriage," America said, grinning Kurt's way.

Kurt shook his head at America. "I assure you, I didn't arrange this."

"Aww, he's still so stuffy about it," America giggled delightedly. "What's the matter? Don't feel old enough to have a baby girl getting married?"

"It's not _my_ age," Kurt grumbled, but Kate popped up on her toes to give him a kiss.

"She's over the moon happy, and that's what matters," Kate said with a little smile.

"Plus, you all get to wear pirate hats," America teased.

"Oh yeah, that's super important too," Kate laughed.

America shook her head and chuckled as she skipped off to go dance with Lucy, sure to tease Melody and Harry dancing together after they'd switched partners — and to give Santiago a fist bump as he danced with little Margaret Rogers.

And across the dance floor, James was babysitting John, so that his parents could have a dance together, though he soon found himself with Billy on one side and Teddy on the other, both of them grinning at him.

"Is the world ending?" James asked quietly with one eyebrow raised.

Billy shook his head with a smirk. "Not today. Today, my best friend's baby girl is getting married, and I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"And we decided that you should get to dance with the rest of the kids your age," Teddy put in.

"So we came to relieve you of babysitting duty."

"He just fell asleep," James said, shifting to take a peek at his little brother. "Are you sure you two don't need to go show them how adorable you are together?"

"I mean, we _can_ ," Teddy said, grinning at Billy.

"But can _they_ handle it?" Billy grinned.

"Probably not, but you know. Reality check from the harbinger is a good thing, right?" James asked with a smirk.

Billy chuckled. "Just a couple dances. Come on. We haven't gotten to snuggle the newest one."

"Oh … baby withdrawals. You should have led with that."

Teddy chuckled. "Yes. That. Me first."

James couldn't help but laugh at them as he turned to hand John over to Teddy. "You're both wonderful."

"We so, so are," Billy agreed, grinning at Teddy as he tucked the little boy into his arms.

"We're hitting Chelsea next, but she's currently terrorizing Kari for her babysitting turn," Teddy laughed.

"And John is asleep and easier to cuddle," James said, nodding. "Gotcha. Just … come get me when you're ready to move on."

"Will do," Billy and Teddy said at the same time as Billy slid over to look over Teddy's shoulder so he could grin down at the little baby.

This, of course, meant that James was freed up to dance with Vanessa, who had until that point been talking animatedly with Charlie — the two of them had turned into fast friends — and Charlie couldn't help but grin as she saw James take Vanessa out onto the dance floor.

"You love this," Gerry said, grinning at her and giving her hand a little squeeze as he came to join her.

"I love when people are happy," she pointed out.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Gerry shot back, grinning even wider as she rolled her eyes at him. "Weddings must be like a recharge for you."

"They are," Charlie said. "But actually, believe it or not, the flood of emotions is a little much, even if it's all positive."

"Really?" Gerry raised an eyebrow her way, obviously surprised, and Charlie gave him a sheepish sort of smile.

"I know; it surprised me too," she admitted. "Usually, positive emotions are great, but…"

"Well, you said when you used Amy that _all_ of it was overwhelming. The good and the bad emotions," Gerry said, nodding slowly as he considered what she was saying. "You okay, then?"

"I'm fine," she promised. "I've gotten a lot better at figuring out how to close myself off when things get too much to deal with."

"Good," Gerry said, giving her a little squeeze with his arm around her shoulders. "I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're a sweetheart; you know that?"

"I was raised well," Gerry said with an easy smile.

And surrounded by their friends and family, Sying and Krissy were still dancing with each other. Any other time, they might have been totally delighted by things like Gerry and Charlie flirting or Santiago dancing with literally everyone or Ael getting wrapped up in a dance with Willow — but in that moment, they didn't really care what anyone else was up to. At all.

The two of them had started out doing a bit of showing off with the kind of flowing waltz that would have made K and her dance instructor sensibilities proud, but the closer they got to midnight, the more the dance shifted into something more like a spinning hug punctuated by long kisses, both of them more and more wrapped up in each other as they got more and more excited.

Finally, when it was getting close enough to midnight, Noh announced the last dance, and then, the gathered heroes, friends, and family quickly rearranged themselves to gather around the dock, where Krissy and Sying were set to say their vows.

Of course, having the party first wasn't doing Kurt any favors, since it meant he had all night to consider the fact that he was about to marry off his eldest daughter, but Kate had made it her mission to keep him "distracted" all night, which meant they'd been doing almost exactly the same dance as Krissy and Sying all night.

"Are you two ready to do this, or …" Elin said over her shoulder before the couple got started.

Krissy grinned at her best friend. "Totally," she assured her.

"Then hurry up and kiss your pirate prince already," she said with a smile.

Krissy giggled at that. "There's a few things to do first," she teased, tipping her head toward Kurt.

"Not if you're a real pirate," she whispered back.

Krissy chuckled at the obvious challenge, but she wasn't about to back down from it either, and she made it a point to grab Sying's shirt before the guests had all quite settled and steal a long kiss before the ceremony could get underway — not that Sying was complaining. At all.

Kurt cleared his throat to get their attention, though when Krissy turned to give her dad her best "I'm not even sorry" expression, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head at her, especially when she seemed to be going out of her way to look _that_ much like Kate.

It might have been the fact that Krissy had on the _exact_ same expression that Kate had been wearing when she and Kurt got married that finally did it for Kurt, too, because he looked a little more relaxed as he started off the ceremony — waiting, of course, until they were nearly at midnight so that the two of them would technically be married on the first of November.

Sying went first, grinning and bouncing slightly in place as he slid the ring onto Krissy's finger. "Krissy, you've always been like the stars to me — out of reach and beautiful. Dancing with you is like dancing with the night sky, and I'm never going to get used to it. I hope I never do." With Krissy positively grinning right back at him, he couldn't help but laugh before he continued. "You know I'll always look out for you, but I promise I'll never stop believing in you, either. You could capture the heavens themselves and hold them in your hands, and I'll help you do it."

When Sying was finished, Krissy was a deep pink rather than purple because of the deep blush that reached all the way down to her roots before she cleared her throat and shook her head. "You've got the soul of a poet," she told him, and he beamed at that before she went on. "Sying… you've always been a safe place for me," she said. "Even when everything around us gets crazy, I know you'll be there. It's weird, because we grew up surrounded by superheroes, but I always thought you were, like, a _super_ superhero — and then when you let me catch up to you, I realized I was right." She grinned at him. "The world totally isn't ready for us, but the world will just have to deal with it," she said before she grabbed his shirt again and kissed him before Kurt could finish the ceremony.

Sying was already over the moon by that point, so by the time Kurt declared them both husband and wife, literally everyone around them could see it coming when Sying beat Krissy to the punch and pulled _her_ into a kiss — and then broke into a laugh when the two of them were positively _showered_ in flowers as every one of the bamfs dumped a bucketful on them.

The two grinning newlyweds rushed off, hand in hand, to set up for the bouquet toss and garter throw, as everyone cheered them on, but Kate found her way over to Kurt and simply wrapped her arms around him with a smile. "You were magnificent," she told him.

"Naturally," he said with an easy smile, though his gaze was beyond her, toward where Krissy and Sying had disappeared.

Kate chuckled and then reached up to turn Kurt's head so that he was looking at her and not the kids. "Kind of reminds you of a day… oh… about nineteen years ago…" she said before she stood on her toes to kiss him.

He couldn't help but grin at her as he wrapped her up a little tighter. "And I still count myself blessed beyond measure for that day."

Kate grinned and wrapped him up in an even more involved kiss before she grabbed him by the hand and they went to join everyone gathered up for the bouquet and garter tosses. They were just in time to see a widely-grinning Krissy wind up for the toss, though Kate had to burst into laughter when it sailed over the heads of a lot of the little kids and hit Cassie almost squarely in the forehead.

She was hanging onto Kurt, half doubled over with laughter at the surprised look on her friend's face, and Kurt couldn't help but laugh along with her as he all but held her up.

"I totally didn't even _think_ about Cassie and Tommy," Kate giggled delightedly.

Kurt grinned at her, still halfway holding her up from laughing as Sying led Krissy to a chair and sheepishly ducked his head underneath her skirts, emerging with the blue-and-purple lace between his teeth before he spun it around a few times and flung it over his shoulder.

And this time, it was America's turn to burst into laughter when it was her little boy who, sitting on James' shoulders, snatched the delicate lace out of the air and proceeded to very proudly strut around with it, grinning widely like he'd won an award.

"Your kid is a handful," Kate told her friend as Peter Parker made sure to get pictures of Santiago running around with the garter.

"Like there was ever any question otherwise," America said, sounding incredibly proud of her little boy, especially when he rushed over to her and Lucy and nearly knocked Lucy over with how excited he was when he tackle-hugged her. "Santo! _Cuidadosamente._ "

Santiago looked abashed for a moment and quickly nodded. " _Lo siento, mama_ ," he said, though once Lucy had kissed him on the forehead, he went right back into running around and celebrating.

"He's just as much work as Kade is," Kate said with a little smirk at her best friend. "You do so well with him."

America shook her head at Kate. "Careful. I'm not shopping for any more," she warned, sticking her finger in Kate's face. "Unlike you and your _five_."

"Our family wasn't complete until Chelsea came along," Kate insisted, though she couldn't help the smile at her friend's pretended seriousness.

"You just wanted to keep the balance of boys and girls, seeing as Sying came along to be your son-in-law," America accused her.

"Oh definitely," Kate laughed.

America grinned wider at that. "Good."

Kate just smiled and leaned into Kurt as Krissy and Sying gave everyone one last dance together — beautiful and graceful, as opposed to the earlier close-dancing — before they rushed over to hug their families and headed out to the ship for a honeymoon in the stars.

Kurt was sure to hug Krissy tightly, her head underneath his chin before he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, _Prinzessin_ ," he whispered to her gently.

She hugged him tightly around the middle and all but buried her face in his chest. "Love you too, Papa," she whispered back, her eyes shining when she finally did let go.

And as soon as she stepped back, there was a mob as all the other elflings rushed in to give her hugs, too. "Are you gonna be Krissy Lee or Krissy Varr?" Kaleb asked

"He's gonna be Sying Wagner, duh," Kari giggled.

"Or Hawk-Sying," Kade sang out, grinning madly.

Even Chelsea got in on the fun, hugging Krissy's leg until Krissy bent down to pick her up and Chelsea could melt into a proper baby snuggle, her arms around Krissy's neck before she gave her a kiss with a little giggled "yay!"

And, of course, Sying wasn't going to get away scot-free, either. Jubilee pulled him into a long, lasting, crushing hug, and both of the twins got him at once. By the time he extricated himself from that hug, Ael was waiting for him with a smirk.

"Congratulations," Ael said as he stepped in and hugged his big brother tight. "I'm really glad this finally happened for you. I know that's what you've wanted for a long, long time."

Sying grinned down at Ael and wrapped him up in a hug. "Love you too, little brother."

Finally, Sying and Krissy were able to disentangle themselves from their families and get back to each other, and Krissy couldn't help but throw her arms around Sying as well, pulling him into a warm hug before she stole a kiss.

"You're mine now," she whispered to him, though he grinned even wider at that and stole a long kiss in return.

"Yes, I am," he agreed. "Always and forever."

* * *

When it was time for Sying and Krissy to come back from the stars, grinning widely and clearly still in the newlywed glow, it was just in time for Kurt's birthday celebration. They'd done that on purpose, of course. They could have stayed in space for _ages_ and never come back — but they both valued their families too much to stay gone quite that long.

They stayed in orbit around Earth for a little while, though, knowing that the party wasn't until the afternoon, so they had a little time. And the _Cherry Bomb_ wasn't exactly helping things, dimming the lights and sending a sort of comforting hum through the ship as they took their time waking up.

Krissy curled into Sying's side as he ran his fingers through her hair, smiling up at him. "Is it bad that I don't want to go back yet?" she asked him.

He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "No, I could spend a year in this ship with you," he promised.

Krissy grinned at that and leaned forward to steal a kiss that ended up being longer than either of them had planned for, though when it did finally break, both of them were grinning widely at each other.

"I thought you didn't like space," Krissy had to tease him.

"I don't like being in space _alone_ ," Sying corrected her. "Being in space with _you_ is totally different."

"If you feed me a line about the view, I'm never speaking to you again," Krissy teased him.

Sying pulled her into a solid kiss again. "Okay, then I won't do that. Even if it would be true."

Krissy rolled her eyes at him and pinned him down with a kiss, and the two of them were plenty wrapped up in each other until the _Cherry Bomb_ chirped to alert them that they did, actually, have to get moving if they were going to be there for Kurt's birthday. Or, you know, Christmas.

The two of them were still grinning and practically attached at the hip when they finally got to the hangar, though it took no time at all before they were caught up in their families again. The twins tackled Sying; Kade tackled Krissy. All was right with the world.

"You gotta come and see the cake before Chelsea _destroys it_ ," Kade insisted, grabbing both Sying and Krissy by the hands and almost dragging them toward the dining room.

And, sure enough, Annie had made another one of her amazingly decorated cakes — and Chelsea was in her father's lap determined to get one of those pretty icing flowers in her hands. She kept coming _so close_ , and it was clear that she thought she was going to succeed — especially because her own cake smash birthday hadn't even been that long ago, and she was now of the mind that all icing must be smashed.

Of course, the cake was momentarily forgotten when Krissy and Sying arrived, because as soon as Kurt saw them, he teleported over with a _huge_ smile to wrap Krissy up in a hug and then Sying as well — and Chelsea managed to squirm over to Krissy somewhere in all the hugs to give her biggest sister a kiss on the cheek. "Issy," Chelsea cooed to her big sister, and Krissy just grinned and nodded.

"Looks like we came just in time for all the sugar," Sying said with a smirk.

"Spectacular timing," Jubilee agreed, rushing over to be part of all the hugs herself.

"It's like your ship wants to make sure we have a steady supply," Krissy teased Sying.

"What, the _Cherry Bomb_? Why would she do a thing like that?" Sying teased right back.

"Aptly named little troublemaker," Krissy laughed, leaning over to kiss Sying's cheek as Chelsea giggled and wriggled until Krissy set her back down so she could go back to running all over the place and making sure everybody had to watch their step with the very-mobile redhead.

Eventually, Chelsea got back to where Kurt was and crawled up into his lap so she could be there when they _finally_ cut into the cake and started serving up pieces, and Kurt was sure to let her have her own piece that she could play with to her heart's content.

"You are _so_ her favorite right now," Kate told Kurt with a teasing little smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"I simply know the way to the hearts of the women in my family," he countered.

Kate smiled at that and leaned over to steal another kiss. "You so do," she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder as the rest of their friends and family gathered around the table to celebrate.

And while Kurt was wrapped up with his friends and family, Krissy and Sying made their way over to where Elin and Chance were wrapped up in each other to say hello, grinning widely when they saw their friends.

"Fancy seeing you two here," Chance said with a smirk as they sat down nearby. "Weren't you lost in space?"

"I couldn't miss my papa's birthday," Krissy said, as if there was no other possible explanation.

"Besides, there's plenty going on for the end of the year," Sying said. "Grampa Wolvie's birthday… not to mention all the holidays and everything else."

"And then we're going back to space anyway," Krissy said. "Official trip to Hala." She pulled a face. "Can you believe it, Ellie? I married into an 'official trip to Hala' family," she giggled.

"Like that wasn't your master plan all along," Elin replied as she gave Krissy a hug. "Find a way to become a princess … get yourself a space dragon …"

Krissy giggled. "Yes, I definitely need a space dragon," she agreed.

"She's already a princess anyway," Sying pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. Her dad's called her that forever," Elin pointed out with a smile to emphasize it.

Krissy leaned forward with an impish smile. "He's not the only one, you know," she said. "Mama showed me the announcement in the newspaper: I'm a 'publishing princess'."

"Well, that … is also true," Elin said, laughing to herself. "I suppose that's the best kind to be."

"Probably," Krissy said, laughing along as she leaned back into Sying. "So, did we miss anything while we were gone?"

"Aside from Kade cornering Tommy and insisting that he had to hurry up and ask Cassie to marry him because _the flowers said so_?" Chance said with a little smirk. "Nah, nothing _too_ important."

"Oh, well, if the flowers said so," Elin laughed.

"The all-knowing flowers," Sying laughed.

"They would be so cute, though," Krissy pointed out.

"She's the only one that caught them lately that would be _able_ to get married," Chance said. "And it is very overdue for someone who's supposed to be fast."

Krissy nodded. "My mama's always saying they should just hurry up and be happy," she agreed, then paused and bit her lip. "But I think… I think to be fair, Tommy thought Erik was gonna be there."

"If that's all that's holding him up, we'll ask Billy to take us to a different dimension and he can have the whole family," Sying said.

"He'd probably do it, too," Chance said.

"You mean the most romantic Avenger in the whole group?" Krissy giggled. "He _so_ will. We just have to ask him."

"And, you know, get Tommy on board," Sying pointed out. "And Cassie. They should probably know they're getting married?"

"Details," Chance said with a shrug.

"Besides, Aunt Nat didn't tell Uncle Clint before _they_ got married," Krissy said.

"And he didn't chicken out either," Elin said. "Surprisingly."

"He _wanted_ to marry her," Krissy said, rolling her eyes Elin's way.

"And you don't think that Tommy wants to?" she said. "How long have they been a thing?"

"Are we counting all of the time he spent trying and failing to get up the nerve, because that might be my whole life…" Chance said with a little smirk.

"Well according to _you_ , that counts, so …" Elin had to tease.

Chance grinned at her and stole a kiss for that one. "Then they've been a thing as long as we have," he teased right back.

"Then it's settled," Krissy said with a decisive sort of nod. "Once someone points out he's _slow_ …. You speedy types are all the same."

"I'd be offended if it wasn't true," Sying chuckled.

"Well, that's that, then," Krissy decided, disappearing in a poof of purple.


	13. Slow Speed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MOAR FLUFF

Kate and Cassie hadn't met up at their malt shoppe in _ages_. They'd both been busy — Kate with her kids and her business and Cassie with helping young heroes in different teams on top of dabbling in hero work on pretty much every team. Plus, Cassie and Tommy had been doing a lot more traveling since Erik had died. He'd needed direction.

They were coming to the big events still, though. And Kate had been happy to see them at the wedding. The Young Avengers might not have been so young anymore, but they'd gotten their start together, and that meant the world.

She sat down at their usual table and smiled as she took in how the city had changed. Almost none of the shops around them were the same as they'd been when they were teenagers, and the people were totally different, too. In fact, with the rising generation more mutant than not, mutants out in the open were a common sight.

Kate had just ordered for them both — their old stand-bys — when Cassie finally showed up, practically bouncing on her feet and glowing and grinning like she did when they were younger and she was bursting with good news.

Cassie flounced to her seat and didn't even try to leave Kate in suspense. Instead, she thrust her hand forward with her fingers tilted down so that Kate could see the sparkling engagement ring there.

Kate let out an inhuman noise and practically tackled Cassie, nearly knocking them both over. "Tell me _everything_!" she demanded, grabbing Cassie's hand to look at the ring more closely.

"Apparently, _your_ daughter accused Tommy of being _slow_ ," Cassie giggled delightedly as the two of them finally righted themselves and blatantly ignored the stares they were getting from the other patrons.

"Which daughter?" Kate asked. "I need to know so I can buy her ice cream."

"Krissy."

"Sounds like her," Kate said, still smiling widely. "She's been riding high since the wedding and thinks everyone should get to be as happy as she is."

"She's not wrong," Cassie said.

"On either count," Kate pointed out. "Tommy _was_ moving slow."

"For good reason," Cassie defended. "I think Tommy wanted his grandfather at the wedding, so when Erik died, he just…" She trailed off and sighed. "You know how big a deal it was for him to feel like he had a family who _cared_ about him."

Kate's teasing smile slipped, and she nodded. When they'd met Tommy, he'd been in a facility that saw him as a weapon, not a person. He hadn't had real experience with a family that wasn't willing to sell him out until he met Billy, and even then, it had taken him a while to warm up to having a brother in the first place.

Now, he and Billy were on good terms. But Kate used to date Tommy; she knew _intimately_ how much he'd needed parents. After all, she had a daddy complex herself, especially at that age. She could kind of relate, even if Tommy obviously had it way worse.

When Erik had moved into the mansion, Tommy had attached to him in a way Kate hadn't seen from him before. She didn't know if it was because of how Erik had saved them in the Shi'ar invasion or what, but something had shifted. He'd started to actually orbit the mansion and then to _stick around_. Erik had been a grounding force.

Which was kind of wild, considering how that had _not_ been the case when the team first met him.

So, Kate reached out and rested her hand on Cassie's arm. "Pretty sure _you've_ been grounding him this whole time, Cas."

"I hope so."

"I _know_ so." Kate kept her hand on her friend's arm. "I used to date the guy, remember? If you weren't keeping him grounded, he'd have moved on by now. He was the same way with David before David left."

"Thanks." Cassie smiled lightly and then visibly straightened up, as if she was getting rid of the previous conversation topic with the move. "Okay, so. Engagement story."

"Ooh, yes, please!" Kate made a show of leaning forward, her eyes bright, her chin resting on her fists as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Cassie laughed before she launched into her story: "He totally surprised me. Picked me up and carried me bridal-style all the way to that warehouse we used to use when we were kids — remember?"

"Um, yeah, of course I remember. It's _my_ warehouse," Kate laughed, thinking of how she'd used her dad's money and his warehouse to not only give their fledgling team a base of operations but to design uniforms for them.

" _Now_ it is," Cassie teased.

"We were such rebellious teenagers," Kate said gleefully. "Stealing Daddy's things to be _superheroes_ …"

"Oh yeah. Total rebels," Cassie laughed — not that she could talk. Her parents had once barred her from being a hero, too — even if she hadn't had Kate's problem of having a _supervillain_ for a father.

"Right, so, he took you someplace with sentimental value," Kate prompted once they'd finished laughing.

Cassie laughed. "Yep. And then, he fumbled through a few attempts to talk about the old days before he gave up on trying to do anything suave and whipped out the ring box and proposed on the spot!"

Kate laughed harder. "That's _such_ a Tommy proposal!"

"Right?" Cassie was still riding high, and it showed in the way she didn't hold anything back when she laughed. "And you know how he is about waiting, so I made him promise I could break the news to you."

"Thus the text asking for a no-warning ice cream meetup?" Kate teased.

"Thus the text asking for a no-warning ice cream meetup," Cassie agreed, laughing.

"Not that I'm complaining," Kate clarified.

"Of course not. Because who would complain about ice cream?"

"Um, no one, obviously." Kate grinned and leaned back, waiting for their ice cream to arrive before she asked, "So, where's Tommy now?"

"Believe it or not, he said he'd tell Billy while you and I were out on the town."

"I don't believe it," Kate teased. "You replaced him with a Skrull, didn't you?"

"I did not."

"You so did."

"Kate!"

"I think you should prove it," Kate said, grinning steadily wider with every word. "I think I need to see Tommy and Billy sharing a family moment with my own eyes."

"You just want a party with the whole team," Cassie accused her.

"Why, yes, if Tommy is at Billy's place, then that means Teddy's there too, and that rounds out all the original teammates we have still around, doesn't it?" Kate made a show of pretending she hadn't planned that from the beginning. "Would you look at that!"

Cassie shook her head but couldn't hide her grin. "It's like nothing's changed and you're just as dramatic as when we were kids."

"Married the drama teacher," Kate said automatically.

"Oh, so what was your excuse back then?" Cassie shot back.

"I was too awesome to be contained?" Kate offered, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Stretching, Kate. You're really, really stretching."

Kate grinned but didn't press, instead falling back into stories from her family, from the recent weddings, and gossip that Cassie didn't _already_ know from their constant texting. That much hadn't changed from when they were teenagers either.

By the time they left the malt shoppe, they were teasing each other about old inside jokes and placing bets on who would be faster to congratulate Cassie - Teddy or Billy.

As it turned out, Teddy was faster — but only just. He rushed to the door when the girls arrived and picked Cassie up, spinning her around before he set her back down so that Billy could tackle her into a hug. Both of them were beaming, and Tommy was laughing in the living area of their suite.

"You have to tell us the whole story," Billy insisted with both of Cassie's hands in his.

"You mean Tommy didn't?" Cassie cast a smile toward Tommy, who shrugged with his palms turned out and then stuck his hands in his back pockets and leaned against the wall, obviously enjoying watching her get mobbed.

"You mean you're trusting _Tommy_ to actually tell a story?" Teddy shot right back.

"Hey, I gave you the important highlights," Tommy pointed out.

"Oh sure. 'Hi, guys. I'm engaged,'" Billy said, sticking his tongue out at his brother.

"Tommy, seriously?" Kate laughed - not that she was _at all_ surprised.

"Did I leave anything out?" Tommy asked with a troublemaking smile.

"Obviously!" Billy gestured wildly. "Like, the whole story!"

"He knows I'd tell it better," Cassie said fondly.

Tommy gestured toward Cassie with one hand. "She always makes it sound like I'm _amazing_."

"It's because she likes you, you dork," Kate said, tossing one of Teddy and Billy's throw pillows at Tommy's head — though, as usual, he saw it coming, avoided it, caught it, and tossed it back at her. "Why are you like this?"

"You've met me."

"I have and I still have to ask these questions," Kate laughed.

And that was pretty typical of the teasing being tossed around between the old friends as they celebrated Tommy and Cassie. Someone (Billy) got out drinks at some point, and someone else (Teddy) got started on telling stories about the Young Avengers' heyday, and the next thing they knew, they were all buzzed, laughing, and planning ahead for the wedding — which, unsurprisingly, Tommy figured should be held as soon as they could put it together.

"You know my parents are going to want to come, right?" Cassie laughed, leaning back against Tommy where they were curled up on the couch together. "We can't just _elope_."

"Oh, right." Tommy nodded a few times. Even with his metabolism, Billy's magical booze was giving him a good enough buzz that he didn't censor himself as he said, "Guess I didn't think about that, seeing as Billy's here and Erik's, you know, not."

Billy and Kate shared a look over the heads of their friends, having an entire conversation with no words spoken before Billy said, "You know, if you were really put out by not having Erik around for the wedding, I might have a fix."

"No necromancy today, thanks," Tommy said, slurring slightly and waving his hand — which had Cassie breaking down giggling.

"Not what I meant," Billy laughed.

"Never know," Tommy said lazily. "You _are_ some weird god-like person… thing."

"Demiurge," Billy corrected him, still laughing.

"That's what I said."

"Sure, sure," Billy said, then paused, honestly looking forward to seeing Tommy's reaction as he added, slowly, "But, you know, there _are_ dimensions and timelines where Erik's still around."

Tommy was too drunk to stop the shocked expression on his face as he spun to look at Billy squarely. "You're not gonna take us to, like, Genosha in its heyday or something, right? Because I don't necessarily want to deal with an evil Grandpa like the one we first met; you know that, right?"

"You seriously think your own twin brother would let you host your wedding with an evil grandfather in attendance?" Teddy laughed. "Wow. Such little faith."

"Hey, you never know. Didn't he create a bunch of dimensions on _accident_?" Tommy pointed out. "Didn't my ex turn incorporeal just so he didn't, you know, turn a bunch of them evil or interfere too much or whatever?"

"I was a _kid_ ," Billy defended. "And I was still able to direct most of my power. You're exaggerating."

"Hey, I was mostly dead at the time. I don't remember the salient details."

"Do you want Erik at your wedding or not?" Billy said, his tone nearly exasperated, but he was too entertained and pleased for his brother to get too upset.

"Yes, please, I'd like to have Erik at my wedding, brother mine," Tommy said, grinning crookedly, so wrapped up in teasing Billy that he barely noticed Cassie had very nearly drifted off with her head on his chest — except for the fact that he had moved so she was more comfortable. The simple fact that the whole thing was effortless on his part spoke to how often they curled up like that, which just had the rest of the team that much more tickled on their behalfs.

"Okay, well," Billy said, drawing himself up, "I'm pretty sure I know just the place."


	14. A Wedding on the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EVEN MORE WEDDING FLUFF

Between the bamfs and the elflings and Billy, everyone had been either kidnapped or otherwise brought to the mansion so that Billy could get them all where they needed to be — not only Cassie's parents and Lorna and Alex's family but also Kurt to officiate and James for wedding photography purposes, since Peter Parker was technically family through Erik.

"Did anyone ask you about this?" James asked Kurt quietly.

Kurt chuckled and shook his head. "This is not the first time, either," he admitted.

"Well, it's a first for me … so? Is that a compliment or not?"

"Definitely a compliment," Kurt assured him. "It means that you were at the top of their minds when they had free access to anyone to kidnap."

"Or they're still mad I won't arm them," James argued.

"You think you're being punished?" Kurt asked with a little smirk and one eyebrow raised.

"Don't try to do the dime store psychologist thing, please," James said.

"Never," Kurt said. "I simply take my friends and my family at their word — and point it out when they say questionable things."

James turned toward Kurt and raised an eyebrow himself. "So …. Should I do that to you too?"

"I never say anything questionable," Kurt said with a smirk. "I'm the picture of propriety."

"Okay, so I'm contractually obligated to give you the look," James said, sure to give him one of his mother's best 'BS' expressions. "And to tell you 'LIES. Such horrible LIES'."

Kurt started to laugh at that, resting his hand on James' shoulder. "That's quite the impression," he said, still smiling as the last of the guests arrived.

Once everyone was in place, Billy gave them a quick explanation of where they were headed. "So. There's a fun dimension I know. Pretty nice there… picture early days for the Avengers and X-Men… except Magneto was never a bad guy." He grinned over at Tommy. "Couldn't take you to a place where our grandfather was still doing _that_ on your wedding day."

"Yeah, thanks for listening," Tommy said, pulling a face that had Billy chuckling.

"I already talked to that dimension's Erik," Billy added. "I let him know his grandson wanted to get married while he was still around, and he seemed amenable to it. The mansion's all set for us, so…" He looked around the group — which was really, at this point, not only their families and teammates but everyone in the mansion, since Tommy had been living there so long — before he simply took a deep breath and held it. His hands started to glow until the ground underneath their feet did as well, and then, an instant later, they were all out on the grounds of the mansion in the snow again — but it was a slightly different snowy day, less cloudy, and with a much younger Erik than Tommy had ever even seen.

Tommy didn't even hesitate to zip over and very nearly knock that Erik over in a hug, which seemed to completely catch him off guard — though it had that universe's Charles Xavier positively grinning when he saw the display.

"You must be Thomas," Erik said, gently resting a hand on Tommy's back.

Tommy grinned that much wider and nodded. "Yeah. Hey, grandpa. Missed you."

(James of course, was sure to catch the moment, even without the warning of what _exactly_ was going on, and he quickly slipped into his usual sneak around the edges and well out of the way to get better angles and not draw anyone's attention. But even before it went very long, he'd already gotten the shot he'd wanted, so he hung back to wait for all the pleasantries to end and the ceremony to start, though he kept an eye on the others that had come along as well.)

Erik, for his part, looked touched as Tommy finally stepped back from him. Seeing his fully-grown grandson so _thrilled_ to see him had him wondering what kind of grandfather he'd been in this other timeline — and already hoping to become just that in his own world.

"Why don't you introduce me to your bride?" Erik asked when it was clear Tommy was more than happy simply to bask in his presence — once again prompting Erik to wonder how he'd managed to make such an impact.

He and Charles had often spoken about their legacies, and Charles liked to point out that the children in their care would be the _true_ benchmark of what they would leave behind. And here, Erik saw proof of Charles' long-held belief.

He couldn't help but smile.

And while Erik was caught up talking to Tommy as the young man tried to do his best to explain how he and Cassie had met and what their dimension was like, Scott had finally blinked out of the surprise — since Billy hadn't _told_ him that Charles would be there too — to make his way over to Charles.

"Thanks for letting us invade, professor," Scott said, unable to hide the grin.

Charles looked up, obviously pleasantly surprised. "Scott," he replied, smiling just as widely. "You never did stop calling me that, then, did you?"

"Not really," Scott admitted, almost sheepishly, though he was just so happy to see Charles again that he didn't have anything else to say — at least not until Annie had come over to slip her hand into his.

"And you must be Charles Xavier," she said with a warm smile. "I'm delighted to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you," Charles said with every bit of warmth that Scott had missed.

"Professor, this is Annie," Scott supplied, grinning between the two of them.

"How long have the two of you been married?" Charles asked, totally entranced with the pair of them.

"Twenty-one years," Annie said. She waved over the kids that belonged to them as she spoke, completely tickled to finally meet Charles after all this time. "A few of these are ours... The troublemakers, of course."

"Oh, naturally," Charles said with a laugh and a twinkle in his eyes. "Though Scott wasn't anything like that, so I'm afraid that must be on you, Annie."

Annie broke into a delighted laugh and then turned to Scott to lightly hit him in the arm. "So _that's_ where your sense of humor comes from," she accused him, and he just grinned.

Charlie was of course the first of the Summers siblings to make it over to the group, though Chloe wasn't too far behind and was positively _staring_ at Charles. "Oh wow," she said. "Oh wow oh wow. It's _Grandpa Charles_."

"Chloe, Charlie, this is Charles Xavier," Annie said with a little smirk toward Scott when he'd turned a little red. "And… that's Cody," she said, pointing to their younger boy as he rushed over. "And Chance and his wife, Elin."

"Hi, Grampa Charlie," Elin said without missing a beat, waving the tips of her fingers before she stepped forward to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you finally." She turned to look over her shoulder. "The rest of my group is over there. Being evasive."

Charles raised an eyebrow her way as he shook her hand and then glanced past her to see the Howlett clan, minus James, of course.

"My brother James is taking pictures. Kind of hard to miss, though. Looks like a tall copy of Dad," Elin said quietly.

Charles couldn't quite help but smile back at her after a moment's pause — he hadn't exactly expected to see Scott and Logan's children _married_ , of all things. "I see. And you favor your mother," he said.

"That's what I've been told," Elin said with a soft smile and a nod.

"Except a little taller and prettier," Chance told her with a grin and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Biased," Elin said in a lofty tone.

"But right," he shot back without missing a beat.

"They never stop," Cody whispered conspiratorially to Charles.

Charles had no idea exactly how to respond — particularly since the two were married — and clearly neither Scott or Logan had any trouble … that he could see.

Charlie, meanwhile, was just watching Charles before she nodded to herself and then excused herself to rush over to where Logan and K were. "Charles should meet John," she told them. "And you guys too, obviously, but I think he _so_ needs baby snuggles, right?"

Logan gave her a dry look. "What are you up to?"

"Um, getting my grandfather baby snuggles."

"Bull," Logan said, though he let her pull them along.

"Okay, so that's only part of it, but come on," Charlie said, still pulling him by the hand. She could tell that Charles was overwhelmed and confused and had noticed the confusion tick up with Chance and Elin. So, she figured he was having the same problem most people did and assuming the old Howlett-Summers rivalry was still in force. And she wanted to do the same thing for this Charles and she'd done for the other one and inject a little hope in the future.

When the little group met up with the clan of Summerses, Logan simply tipped his chin up. "Heya, Chuck."

"Logan," Charles said with a warm smile. "Some things never change."

Logan turned to give Scott an obvious once over. "So they say." He turned his head a little further to see where James had gone — and smirked when he saw that he'd managed to find a pretty well shadowed spot and was taking pictures of Erik and Cassie, who was blushing nearly to her hairline with the back and forth of flattery going on. "You've met Elin ... " he said, before quickly running through the rest of the kids, though Charlie was already giving him a look before K stepped forward with John and simply gave Charles a kiss on the temple.

"Nice to meet you," she said quietly — and seamlessly slid the little one into his arms.

Charles looked surprised by both the little one in his arms and the familiar greeting, though he couldn't help but smile at John when the little guy latched onto his shirt with both hands and gave him a gummy grin. "And who is this?" he asked.

"John," K replied. "Clearly the most trouble in the room — if you ignore James."

"I haven't met James yet," Charles said.

She gestured to the dark spot near Erik and Tommy just before James stepped out, looking at the viewfinder on his camera. "He's playing wedding photographer."

"He did ours too," Chance said with a smile. "When he wasn't doing groomsmen stuff, obviously."

Charlie grinned, nudging Chloe's shoulder when Erik saw James and did a full-on double take. "That's our James," she said with a little giggle.

But the little group wasn't alone for long before a number of _bamfs_ nearly surrounded them as the Wagner clan appeared.

"Typical," Kurt teased Logan. "Here I am preparing for a wedding and I find you showing off your son."

"You know to stick close if you want to be in the party," Logan shot right back.

Kurt just laughed at that before he turned to Charles with a warm smile. "You've met the whole of the families here it seems… except…." He turned to give Kari an impish sort of look, and an instant later, she and James reappeared in a poof of pink. "Scott, shame on you for not introducing Charles to your godson." He gestured to James with one hand and a steadily growing smile. "James Wagner Howlett."

James let out a sigh and offered his hand to Charles before he muttered low, "I hate when he does that. Makes it sound like it was all him and Dad."

"I'm sure he's simply proud," Charles said.

"He's simply _something_ alright," James said, though he crouched down after he'd backed up a few steps and caught a great angle with Scott standing behind Charles, smirking the whole time.

Of course, Kurt was sure to introduce Charles to his own little family, from the newlywed daughter all the way down to little Chelsea.

"I got to be the ringbearer," Kade said proudly when Kurt explained who Krissy was married to. "Like I said I would."

"It wasn't that long ago," James explained before he asked Kade if he wanted to take a few pictures too. The little maroon elfling nodded enthusiastically, and Kari couldn't help but giggle as she watched James explaining how it worked.

"Just a couple weeks," Krissy agreed, beaming over at Sying, though Sying had somehow ended up with Chelsea duty in all of the socializing and was getting full-on belly laughs with some itty bitty plasmoids, so he wasn't paying any attention.

Charles could only keep smiling ever wider as he watched the obviously close group interacting, though eventually, it _was_ time for the actual wedding to take place, and Billy finally managed to tear Magda and Michael away from showing off their magnetic powers for an increasingly impressed Erik to get everyone seated. Scott offered to get Charles over to the ceremony, and James gave Kade's hair a little ruffle before he slipped off to where Cassie was tucked away for a few shots before they got moving.

Cassie was beaming from ear to ear as her dad led her down the aisle, though for how quickly the ceremony had come together, there weren't any prepared statements, just the basic vows to each other before Tommy outright picked her up and spun her around, carrying her bridal style and looking like he absolutely wasn't going to put her down anytime soon as he zipped off with her to dance.

And just like that, the snow started to sparkle and rise up around the group of them as a not-quite-as-subtle-as-he-was-trying-to-be Wiccan pulled together a winter wonderland right there on the lawn, a sort of white, glistening area where the group of them could dance and gather together to celebrate.

"Thanks again," Billy told Erik when he was finished and Erik was properly impressed with the magic he'd just seen. "It wouldn't have been the same without you."

"My pleasure," Erik replied, eyes twinkling as he watched the gathered group start to pair off. "I take it there are several major differences in your … er … timeline?"

Billy nodded. "We're a few decades ahead of you, for one thing," he said. "Which you've probably already figured out."

He waved a hand. "I know they're all a little different, and it's best we not know the fine details."

Billy couldn't help but smile, the stars in his eyes twinkling with laughter. "Oh, I wouldn't tell you anything that would change your destinies here," he said.

Erik looked impressed — again — and gestured for Billy to lead the way, though they didn't get far before he was all but tackled at either side by Sammy and Harry.

"Hi, Grandpa Erik!" Sammy beamed up at him.

"Daddy said to wait until you'd said hi to Tommy and Aunt Lorna and everybody," Harry said.

"But you should definitely dance with me," Sammy informed him happily.

Billy couldn't help but smile at the kids as he gestured with one hand. "These are mine, by the way. My husband's the one trying to kidnap the baby," he said, gesturing to where Teddy was curled in a corner grinning at John — who was giggling madly whenever Teddy would shapeshift.

Erik looked obviously taken aback by the revelations, but his expression turned into a warmer one as Sammy pulled him out onto the dance floor — and Magda cut in for a dance with her grandfather almost as soon as Sammy's was done.

Billy was still grinning as he came to sit down next to Teddy, who reached over to pull him into a kiss. "You love this," Teddy said.

"I miss it," Billy admitted. "It's so hard not to get lost in other worlds where everyone's still _around_."

"Hey, I'm still around," Teddy pointed out. "And those other worlds don't have our kids — or John, right Johnny boy?" He held up the little guy to Billy's face so that John could bite Billy's cheek and slobber all over him.

Billy grinned and made sure to pull Teddy into a kiss of his own. "That's what I love about our world," he agreed, taking John's giggle as encouragement to keep kissing him.

Across the dance floor, America and Lucy were chatting with some of Tommy and Cassie's old junior squad teammates. The Young Avengers had shown up in force, but they weren't the only ones with a claim to Tommy and Cassie — and the junior squad could argue a better claim than America could, since she'd joined the team when both Tommy and Cassie weren't really part of things.

"It's kind of wild seeing everyone in one place like this," Brye was saying, her arm around Sylvia, who looked cold as always, her scales a slightly whiter color than usual. "We've been working hard in Japan, and here you guys are with babies and weddings every which way."

America smirked. "Tell me about it. It feels like Westchester is one big family reunion all the time."

"I'm kind of jealous. Sounds fun," Sylvia said, leaning up to kiss her wife's cheek.

Brye rolled her eyes but kissed her back. "You're like this every time we're around the big group. I already told you if you wanted kids that bad, we'd look into adoption."

America laughed and pinched Lucy's side. "That's a familiar argument."

"Don't act like you aren't head over heels for Santo. You're worse about spoiling him than I am," Lucy shot right back with an easy smile.

"I maintain that ice cream dimensions are great for teaching him about dimension hopping," America said, but she was grinning too widely to pull off anything like a believably serious argument.

"Uh-huh," Lucy said, then kissed America and laughed. "Sorry, girls, but I have to dance with my wife now and remind her not to lie to me," she said, already tugging on America's hand.

While the group was pairing off — and even Kari managed to get James to set the camera down to take a quick dance — Charles took the chance to head over to where Elin and Chance were just sitting down for a break with a warm smile for both of them. "How long have the two of you been married, might I ask? This is all a bit … overwhelming."

Chance grinned his way. "Yeah, sorry about the mobbing," he said. "There's a lot of us…" He rubbed the back of his neck in a manner just like his father would do at that age before he grinned again. "Oh. Four months. Coming up on five pretty soon here. So we're still newlywed."

Charles continued to smile his way and Elin's — though she was splitting her attention between the conversation and watching the gathered group at large. "And the two of you are well-received outside of the mansion?" He smiled a little wider. "I'm sure that you're both either on the team or joining it. You're certainly old enough to do so."

"We lead the junior squad together," Chance said, and there was no mistaking the note of pride in his tone.

Charles didn't miss it, and he couldn't help but appreciate it. "Then I hope you don't mind my being forward, but I'm sure our time is short here as a group." He decided to take another route. _Can you please tell me about your scar?_ Charles projected.

Chance looked surprised for a moment before he almost self-consciously touched the cheek where the 'H' was still visible. _I forgot it was there,_ he admitted sheepishly before he took a deep breath and a moment to order his thoughts. _It was a few months before we got married. Some people didn't agree with a human being on the team,_ he explained.

Charles glanced over to Elin and looked as if he was in shock. _Is it that bad for humans where you're from?_

 _It's..._ Chance let out a breath. _It's not_ nearly _as bad as it was for mutants. And the groups that don't like humans are young, just getting a foothold. I'm just a really, really obvious target._ He shrugged and rubbed his neck again. _But that's what happens, you know? When you're doing the right thing._

Charles shook his head slowly, but his thoughts were interrupted by an almost comforting tone. "It's rude not to share," Elin said, not turning their way as she watched beyond the crowd.

Chance couldn't help but laugh as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Sorry, El. Just telling Grandpa Charles about the scarlet letter," he said.

She smiled lightly and let out a little 'ah'. "The real story or the one you've adopted?"

"The real one," Chance defended.

She nodded and turned to Charles. "We're not letting anyone be monsters to anyone else. All the way around. I promise."

"That's the whole reason I've still got this on my face," Chance agreed. "They want to make me ashamed of what I am, but I'm not. That's sort of the whole point of what the X-Men do — no one should be hated or hunted for who they are."

"And I think being public about our marriage has helped," Elin said.

"Not that that's _why_ we got married," Chance said with a little smirk her way before he couldn't help but tease, "Right?"

"Better not be, or I take back every 'Sweet Summers' I've ever given you." She leaned his way and took a hold of his arm.

"I'm sure anyone who sees the two of you together knows better," Charles said with a smile.

"There are still people that think it's crap because of how badly our Dads got along forever ago," Elin said. "It's ridiculous."

"Some people have a hard time moving on from the past," Charles said, leaning his chin on his hands as he watched the two of them together.

She smiled to herself and then glanced up at Charles. "They used to say the same thing when Erik would get a hard time."

"Then some things have changed — and others stay frustratingly the same," Charles surmised.

"Do you still like Earl Grey?" Elin asked with a smirk.

"Yes, it's my favorite."

"Erik's too," she told him.

"Yes, we drink it together often," Charles said. "At least that stays the same."

"I miss tea time," Elin said before she gave Chance a kiss on the cheek and stood up. "But you two are having a nice chat, and I'm interrupting."

"You're really not," Chance promised.

"Shortsighted, Sweet Summers," Elin sang out before she headed out to the dance floor and tapped Scott on the shoulder so she could cut in and dance with Annie, leaving Scott free to drift over to Chance and Charles.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, gesturing to the chair Elin had just vacated.

"Please," Charles laughed. "We were just discussing your _son's_ burn."

Scott's expression darkened. "You were?"

"I told him the truth, Dad," Chance said. "But I can do the other one if you'd feel better about it."

Scott gave him a dry look before he reached over to put his hand on Chance's shoulder as he looked toward Charles. "Chance has worked since he was very young to get where he is now. Anyone who says he doesn't belong on the team is wrong."

"I never doubted your judgement, Scott," Charles said, looking entirely amused.

Scott shook his head quickly. "I never said you did," he said.

But Charles' eyes were twinkling brightly, perfectly pleased to see how fervently Scott was defending his son, even against _him,_ even if he didn't realize it. "How many other humans do you have on the team now?" he asked. "I'd imagine he can't possibly be the only one."

"Kurt's wife — Kate — was the first," Scott said, tipping his head toward where Kurt and Kate were slowly twirling on the dance floor.

"And did anyone give her a hard time for being a human on the team?" Charles asked, honestly interested.

Scott let out a breath. "I'm sure she could tell you about it, but ... yes," he admitted. "She was an Avenger first, but the switch caused her a lot of problems publicly, especially with her business."

Charles nodded slowly and then turned to Chance with an encouraging sort of look. "Then you just need to shove it in their face."

Chance broke into a _huge_ grin. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Just then, Logan came over to join the group too, dropping into the seat next to Scott heavily. "You all look too damn serious for a wedding. And the girls are all causin' trouble. All of 'em."

"That's not news," Chance laughed.

Charles looked out on the dance floor in time to see K pull Erik out with a grin, and Annie made a point to head over by Teddy so that Elin could do the same with Billy.

"I mean, if we stop them now, how will the Lensherr clan learn to stop being wallflowers?" Chance continued, clearly entertained.

"She couldn't wait to get him out there," Logan said with a little chuckle. "And if I didn't know better, I'd think he was having _fun._ "

"Yeah, that can't be possible," Scott deadpanned. "Getting to meet all those grandkids and great-grandkids — can't be fun at all."

Logan gave him a dry look. "If you're worried about lasting that long yourself, we can ask Cap where he crashed and stick you there for a few decades."

"What, and miss John growing up? No. You'll just have to put up with me," Scott said without looking Logan's way, still watching the girls dancing.

"As long as you're not in a rush," Logan said almost in a breath, though when Erik's laughter echoed over to them — shortly after he'd picked K up — it was clear it was time to move. "You wanna get 'em back? Yours is with Teddy playin' with the baby."

Scott smirked but nodded all the same, letting Logan get up first before he simply put his hand on Logan's shoulder to get up as well, using Logan as a crutch for a moment before his knee caught up to the rest of him and they headed over to their wives.

"That … is probably a good idea," Chance said. "If you don't mind. We _are_ still newlyweds."

"Not at all," Charles assured him, still a bit shocked at the easy back and forth he'd just seen between Scott and Logan.

James was nearby, staring at the viewfinder and gently shaking his head, deleting the photos he didn't like — but keeping to himself mostly. At least until Charlie came to sit by him. "Professor Xavier is in total shock over there. Do you have any pictures from the other weddings? Might help."

"Yeah, there's a few of my favorites … from the past year or so," James admitted, still not looking up at her.

"Great. Bring your camera. I know you don't like sharing until you're done, so you can just show the ones you like."

"Not like I'm gonna get critiqued," James muttered as she pulled on his arm. "You can just take the camera."

"Yes, I _could_ ," she said, still pulling him over. "But I won't."

He let out a breath, but it was a _well_ -established practice of his not to fight her too much unless it truly was a big deal. "You really don't need me for this, Charlie."

"I know," she said. "But you're so separate and I just — you should get to be part of things too."

"That's a weird outlook, Charlie," James muttered.

"You tell me that all the time," Charlie pointed out, then flashed him a grin and ended up pulling him the rest of the way over to where Charles was watching the group at large.

"Yeah, because your brain is wired weird," James said.

"It is. We've established that," Charlie agreed brightly before she waved to Charles. "Mind if we sit here? James is going through his pictures, and I thought you might want to see some of the pictures from the other weddings too."

James shook his head as he finished trashing the ones that he thought weren't up to snuff and then offered Charles the camera, quickly explaining how to cycle through the photos.

"Oh, but you should really explain them," Charlie insisted to James.

James looked at her openly. "What … am I supposed to explain?" James challenged. "Worth a thousand words, right?"

"Well, he doesn't know everyone," Charlie pointed out.

James had to nod at that and moved his chair over to sit next to Charles, waiting to see if Charles actually needed any help with the names, though he doubted it. And he wasn't wrong, either; Charles simply looked through the pictures with a steadily growing smile, completely thrilled with not only the wedding pictures but the ones of the group in their everyday activities. Sying and Krissy dancing, Vanessa at Stark Tower, pictures on the beach in Japan, pictures of Avengers and X-Men alike that clearly didn't know they were being photographed. There were some excellent baby shots of Chelsea growing up as well as John just after he was born.

And the whole time, Charlie just kept grinning wider, enjoying the positivity as she looped her arm through James'. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Any time," he replied just as quietly.

When Charles finally looked up from the camera, he was positively beaming as he handed it back to James. "Thank you," he told the pair of them.

"You're welcome," James said, though he simply looked at his settings and fiddled with it just a bit as Charlie simply beamed, sticking around long after James had left as she looked for the words to tell Charles what she'd wanted to say to him for a while.

"I know it wasn't this dimension," she said slowly, "but I got to meet you not that long ago, when I was feeling really down."

"Oh?" Charles arched one eyebrow.

Charlie nodded, biting her lip before she continued, "And you inspired me. James and I were working on a project, an empathic equivalent to Cerebro, and I was ready to give up after the first major setback."

Charles didn't bother to hide his surprise. "That sounds… ambitious."

"James isn't just a genius with his camera," Charlie said with a fond smile.

Charles' smile only widened. He had already seen the surprising camaraderie between Scott and Logan in that universe, and to see Charlie speaking about James in such obvious _friendship_ only gave him more hope for his own dimension. "Then I'm glad I was of service, even if I'm not personally aware of what I did. Perhaps you could tell me so I can replicate that success here."

"What you always do," Charlie said, smiling even more warmly than before. "You encouraged me to keep going." She paused, then had to admit, "It may have helped that you were feeling so hopeful at the time that I picked up on that."

"A little bit of cheating help?" Charles guessed. When Charlie nodded sheepishly, he laughed and waved his hand. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. That wasn't the response she was used to getting from her dad and Logan, who kept telling her _not_ to cheat. But then, the picture of Charles Xavier her dad had painted had glossed over some realities, like his proclivity for skipping right to telepathy and past boundaries.

Not that she saw it. She only saw someone who maybe relied on their powers too much, but since she had that problem too, she didn't consider it a serious moral failing. If anything, it humanized the man she'd been named after — and made living up to his legacy a little less daunting.

So, feeling somehow even _more_ grateful for having met Charles again, Charlie gave him one last hug and then went to meet up with the rest of her family.

By that time, things were starting to wrap up as the sun set, and it was clear it was time to leave shortly. Those that didn't belong in that dimension started to gather, though Tommy actually took a moment away from Cassie while she was setting up for the bouquet toss to zip over to Erik and wrap him up in another hug.

"I just ... I just really wanted to tell you that ... that I love you, okay?" Tommy muttered quickly.

Erik looked surprised for a moment before his expression softened. He might not have known Tommy very long, but in his interactions with the young man, he knew already how much that simple phrase meant — especially how much it meant that Tommy had said it _out loud_. "I'm sure I knew that well, Thomas," he promised gently, which just had Tommy hugging him a little tighter before Cassie had hit Magda with the bouquet. Tommy very quickly gathered himself to zip back over to Cassie so he could simply grin and run over to where Teddy had John to drop the lace into the little guy's lap.

"Have fun, little guy."

Teddy couldn't help but laugh at that, especially when John voraciously attacked the lace. "Nice, Tommy."

"Best possible pick," Tommy said. He flashed John a thumbs up before he went back to Cassie to sweep her off her feet again — and Billy raised his glowing hands to take everyone back to where they were supposed to be.

To Charles and Erik's point of view — even if it was weeks later in Billy's reality — only a moment had passed before there were two wedding albums lying exactly where the group had been, with a note inside thanking them both.


	15. You Are Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, BIRTHDAY FLUFF

The mansion residents barely had enough time to recover from the rash of wedding and birthday celebrations — including Leslie Ann's much quieter thirtieth birthday celebration, which she just wanted to do with her aunts and her cousins going out to dinner "just us girls" — before James and Logan's shared birthday.

And Kate was totally excited about it. After all, as she insisted, "It's not every day your favorite hug magnet turns a century and a half!"

"It _is_ every day that I tell you that name is a load of crap," K told her. "You are full of 'it'."

"If you say so," Kate said with an easy smile.

"I do," she said, shaking her head at her.

"Ah, but today is the hug magnet's birthday, and I guarantee you, I will be proven right," Kate said loftily.

"Asking everyone to come and hug him doesn't count," K said. "And it cuts in on the time for other things."

Kate shook her head. "I never have to ask them to hug him," she insisted. "You'll see!"

K let out a breath and bumped Kate with her hip. "You're being horrible. I'll have to disappear with him for _who knows_ how long?"

"Oh, hush," Kate said, waving her hand. "It's a big milestone, and that man deserves to know how loved he is, and you know it."

"I would never ever argue that point," K said. "It's my favorite point to argue. I was just trying to say that I have my own ideas on how to celebrate him. Privately."

Kate grinned at that as they headed down to where the bamfs were just putting the finishing touches on plenty of dinosaur decorations. Kate's personal favorite was the bunch of paper plates that all had cartoon T-Rexes on them, though the balloon stegosaurus was a great touch too.

"You say this is because he needs to see how loved he is … but all I see is 'you are older than dirt' jokes everywhere," K said with her nose scrunched up.

Kate grinned widely. "If I don't pick on him, how will he know I love him?" she asked in a perfectly wide-eyed impression of innocence.

"Well … just remember, your birthday is just around the corner, and he won't forget it."

"Oh, I know. I remember the granny dresses and the cat and all of it," she said.

"That wasn't actually him," K said.

"Well, he can get creative when I hit fifty," Kate said, waving her hand. "Besides, he knew this was coming." She grinned to herself when she heard the doorbell. "Now, I'm pretty sure that's the first of the flood. Let's let 'em in, shall we?"

"You can do that. I'm going to go spoil my sweetheart before we're overwhelmed," K replied, slipping away from Kate to find Logan.

It wasn't long before the mansion was positively brimming with every single hero that could possibly make it to the party, either. Everyone from Alpha Flight to retired heroes and everyone in between was there. Even Fury had made it a point to come out of wherever he was holed up in his post-SHIELD retirement for Logan's party.

K had managed to not only get Logan into the mood to deal with people but had gently directed him to where the rest of the X-Men had set things up — without the help of bamfs or Kurt. Still, she stuck with him as closely as she could, whispering little bits of sass to him to keep him going with the group before the liquor could be brought out anyhow.

Of course, Kate's prediction that everyone would want to hug him was true as well — though it was especially true of the littlest ones, as Chelsea climbed up into his lap as soon as he sat down, beamed at him, and very proudly declared, "Hi, Wogan."

He gave her a crooked smile before he kissed the side of her head. "Hey, little darlin'."

Chelsea giggled and gave him a big hug, then hit him on the nose with her hand in her best approximation of a boop. _I love you,_ she signed to him, still beaming.

He smirked a little wider and leaned forward to touch noses with her. "Right back atcha, troubles."

At that, Chelsea giggled and melted into a hug with him for as long as her attention span would let her before she ran off to play with the bamfs some more, though it was Leslie Ann who slid over with a smile and a bottle of wine for her present.

"My own grapes," she said.

"So you're moonlightin' as a rum runner now?" Logan teased.

She laughed and shook her head. "No, but I thought — what do you get the guy who has everything?" she shot right back. "And I figured I'd get you the best wine nature could make. Well. In a certain period of time, anyway. I haven't quite figured out fermentation."

"Thanks, kiddo," he said just before she managed to attach for a hug too.

"Happy birthday, Logan," she said warmly. "Put it to good use, huh?"

"Depends on what your definition is," Logan pointed out.

Leslie Ann just laughed at that and kissed his cheek. "It's your birthday. Whatever you think it is," she told him, scooting out of the way when she saw Steve headed over with a huge grin on his face as he pulled Logan to his feet for a solid hug.

"Hey, Cap, didn't count on seeing you here," Logan said before Steve put him back on his feet.

"As if I'd miss this," Steve laughed. "The decorations are a nice touch. You know she already promised to do mine in Ice Age themes when I'm a hundred."

"Oh, that … damn, she's just waiting for it," Logan said, chuckling to himself.

"Just didn't want me to feel left out, I'm sure," Steve laughed.

"She did model T's for K's 116th; she's not joking," Logan told him.

Steve laughed louder at that. "Then I know what to be prepared for," he said, though by that time, Sharon and Margaret had made their way over and were talking to K. "Meg, why don't you give Logan his birthday present, huh?" Steve called out.

The little girl grinned and skipped over to Logan to hand him the carefully-wrapped box. "Happy birthday!" she said with a grin. "My dad says you're older than him. That's really cool!"

"Is that so?" Logan asked as he got down to her level.

She nodded and held up four fingers. "I'm only this many, but I'll be as big as you someday!"

"You'll be bigger, punkin'," Logan told her with a smirk.

Her eyes widened at that. "That's really big!"

He chuckled and reached over to ruffle her hair lightly. "You're just little."

"No, dad says I'm big, right, Dad?" Meg insisted, looking up at Steve, who nodded.

"That's right," Steve assured her, and Meg stuck her tongue out at Logan.

"I see some things never change," Natasha teased as she made her way over.

"Havin' flashbacks to bein' this small, darlin'?" Logan asked as he gestured to Meg.

"Oh, absolutely," Natasha laughed, leaning over to kiss his cheek and then all but curl into him in a hug. "I never grew out of it."

He chuckled at her and kissed the top of her head. "Sure didn't."

"I did leave you a present somewhere in your room," she told him. "Try not to take too long to find it," she teased.

"That'll all depend on who all shows up tonight," Logan pointed out. "Seein' as I'm stuck."

"Excuses," she teased him.

"It's what I'm good for," Logan laughed, giving her another tight squeeze.

Natasha stayed curled up with Logan and chatting with Steve for a good long while before she did finally have to excuse herself when she spotted Nikki talking to Fury. "Oh, that boy," she muttered under her breath.

"You sound so surprised," Logan muttered just for her.

Natasha turned his way and then let out a little laugh. "He's trying to get into a SHIELD internship," she explained. "And he'll talk Nick into it, too."

"Oh, gotta go for the big resume," Logan said, shaking his head. "Nope, that don't sound like his mother at all."

Natasha shook her head and then leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Yes, well, I must go find out when he abandons us to wear an eagle. Try not to have any fun without me," she teased him.

"I'll see what I can do," Logan said with a smirk that read trouble.

Of course, Natasha had hardly been gone more than a matter of seconds before several other heroes had to say hello — including Dani, just to pull him into a hug off his feet — though in all of that chaos, he did manage to slip off to a little quieter area.

"So you know, Heather has a lock on you, and it's only James with John that's keeping her away from a full on tackle," Chance said with a smirk as he caught up to Logan.

"That woman's got radar on her," Logan said, shaking his head.

Chance grinned at that. "Yeah, I know. I got away with _nothing_ while I was at her school," he said, then handed Logan his present.

Logan frowned at him for a moment. "You didn't have to do anything, kiddo," Logan said.

"'Course I did," Chance said. "What kind of son-in-law doesn't give birthday presents?"

"Most of 'em, I'd imagine," Logan said, though when he took a look at the contents of the bag, he lost some of the smirk when he saw the note pinned to the boxing wraps.

_Thanks for everything, Dad. -Chance_

Logan looked up at him and called him over just to pull him into a quick, tight hug. "You're doin' good, kiddo. Thanks."

Chance couldn't stop the grin as he hugged Logan back. "Got some good people on my side."

"And you're just as stubborn as your dad — works for you."

Chance's grin only widened at that. "That means a lot. Thanks."

Logan kept one arm around his shoulders as he directed him back toward the crowd. "There's too damn many of 'em."

"Well, you're going to have to deal with Heather eventually," Chance said with a smirk.

"Good thing she's gettin' old and slowin' down or she'd blame me when she breaks something trying to tackle me," Logan muttered.

"Pretty sure she'll blame you anyway. Sorry, can't help you."

"She did last time," Logan said. "Broke her hand."

"Well, try and catch her this time," Chance teased.

Logan had to laugh at that. "She knocked me over and tried to catch herself — did a piss poor job of it."

"Oh yeah, definitely your fault," Chance chuckled, though he just stepped out of the way when Heather did, in fact, make her way over in a beeline.

"Hey, Mrs. Hudson," Logan said just a moment before she made contact. "You bring your old man? Thought I'd get him drunk for you."

"You better not," Heather warned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and curled in, perfectly delighted to hug the stuffing out of him.

"He needs it," Logan defended. "Then Chance is gonna take him fishing for me. Maybe you can celebrate another anniversary with a wild naked guy in the woods."

"Hey, I'm a married man. I'm not going anywhere with anyone naked," Chance teased.

Heather let out a sound of pure misery. "You're misinterpreting it," she said. "We were just married — and _he_ was the wild naked guy _that Mac left me alone with._ "

"I can belatedly hit him in the back of the head for stupidity?" Chance offered.

"Just escaped from Weapon X," Logan said, shaking his head. "No memory. But in my defense, _she_ shot me."

"For spoiling a honeymoon? I would too," Chance teased.

"For just … bein' out growling and snarling in the snow. What the hell were they doing _hunting_ on a honeymoon anyhow?" Logan shot back, shaking his head as if it was still a horrible offense.

Chance just shrugged and laughed at that, though when he spotted Elin, he utterly abandoned Logan to Heather's snuggles — though he was good enough to send Charlie over to relief pitch.

"My turn," Charlie insisted with a sweet smile Heather's way as she took Logan's arm.

"That's fine; I'm going to go see my _boys_ ," Heather said. "So odd to see James and John together." She shook her head with a grin, gave Logan a kiss on the cheek, and made a beeline back to where the two boys were, leaving Logan with Charlie.

"Want to play a game of chess with me?" she offered. "Fewer people will bother us if we're not standing around."

"I doubt that'll work, sweetheart," Logan said as he looked out across the room trying to take in everyone that was there — and there were a lot.

"Well, Jubilee and Kitty already hit you, and a lot of the other usual suspects have hugged you, so it might," Charlie reasoned.

Logan looked up at her and nodded once. "Worth a shot, I suppose." He headed off with her, and once again, he had his arm around her back as they cut through the crowd, though that in itself was a trick, and the whole experience was starting to wear.

Charlie could tell he was getting worn out, too, and she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "It's so burdensome to be so loved, isn't it?" she couldn't help but tease him.

"You know that's not the issue, kiddo," Logan said, shaking his head at her.

"I know, but I didn't know if anyone had said that part out loud, and it needed to be said," Charlie said as she set up the chess board.

"I've heard it a few times," Logan admitted as he let out a breath and looked at his hands. "Just hard to watch … I can remember Nat when she was almost as small as Meg. And now even the super soldiers are getting gray."

"Natasha and Steve aren't _that_ gray," Charlie said.

"Fury is," Logan pointed out. "And Steve was MIA for a long while."

"Okay, I'll give you that," Charlie said. "But you know… they still love you. And their kids love you." She smiled up at him. "I love you too, for the record."

"I'll try to remember that the next time you're squallin' at me for something you think I'm doing wrong," Logan teased.

Charlie laughed and leaned over to hit him in the arm with the flat of her hand. "Never gonna happen," she teased right back.

"Rememberin' that? Maybe not. But the squallin'? Regular occurrence."

Charlie shook her head at him as she considered her next move, though they weren't too far into the game before Charlie's promise of quiet was completely ruined when Wade arrived late to the party to literally tackle Logan out of his seat in a full body hug with a shouted "Happy Birthday!"

As was the usual, Logan tried to angle himself away from him — one hand in Wade's face to push him back, though this other arm was pinned to his side. "Wade … no."

"A whole _century and a half_!" Wade beamed delightedly. "Remember the Ala-Logan!"

"Oh hell," Logan said as Wade tried again to pull him closer for a kiss. "Knock it off, Wade, or you won't live to see seventy."

"But my brother's birthday!" Wade pouted.

Logan paused, but he knew better than to let up pressure to keep Wade back. "Alright. Thank you, Wade. Now let go."

Wade beamed at him and finally picked himself back up, dusting his hands off on his knees. "I should go and get my nephew," he decided, though instead of doing that, he threw himself at Logan once more to kiss his cheek and then giggled delightedly over all of Logan's swearing.

Thankfully, right around that time, Kurt had appeared to get Logan in on the poker game that was running with Fury, Steve, Hank, Ben Grimm, and a few other players, and he didn't hesitate to simply teleport Logan away from Wade before things could escalate, depositing him with the rest of the quiet group.

Logan looked livid still as he tried to get the scent out of his nose, even as Kurt put a glass of whiskey in his hand and gestured for him to take a seat. "No stabbing in front of the children," Kurt said with a grin.

"How else are they supposed to learn?" Logan asked as he took the seat, scowling at the table, then threw back the shot.

"Perhaps later," Kurt suggested as he sat down as well.

Logan sat back as the game started — and Kurt and Steve both were sure to keep his glass full - as much as they could, anyhow — as the stories and bull started to fly around the table. Though one by one, the players were dropping out … Hank first, then Carol … before K slipped into an open chair next to Grimm and gave him a little smile. "What's the pot up to?"

"Not as much as it would be if people actually ante'd up," Grimm complained.

She gave him a little smirk, refilled his shot glass, and then tossed a couple hundred on the table. "Let me know if I'm behind."

Kurt smirked at her as he dealt the cards. "I'm sure we'll all enjoy being thoroughly cleaned out," he teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," K said sweetly as she rearranged her cards and discarded two. "I'm just here to be friendly."

Kurt chuckled at that, though he also made it a point to give her a teasing smile when he was the first to fold his hand. "Not good enough to bluff anyway," he told her, leaning back to watch the rest of the show.

"No," she agreed with a sedate smile. "You're really not."

The hand played out with Grimm coming out the winner, but she'd figured out his tell by that time, and after a few more hands, she looked across the table to Logan. "Alright. I'm taking him with me," she said. "Right after this hand."

"Like hell," Grimm said next to her. "He's lost the last couple hands, and I want my money back. I'm on the path, lady."

She looked up at him with a smirk. "Fine. We'll do it your way."

Kurt was still dealing out the cards when she pushed her entire pile of chips and cash into the pot. "Put up or shut up, big boy," she said, glancing up at him.

He frowned her way — particularly when Fury raised an eyebrow and folded, and Logan just chuckled. She took just a moment to peek at her cards — discarding one and then smirking to herself. She turned entirely to face him and held her expression in place, waiting for him to hurry up and lay the cards down, though the boys still in were continuing to bet, and in short order, K was sure to point out that Grimm was 'playin' it safe'.

Which was exactly what he needed to hear to get riled. A few bluffs later — on both sides — and the rest of the players folded out. She kept smirking at him until he tapped the table, deep in thought and running the odds … and with a curse, he flipped his cards over to reveal that he'd been bluffing the whole time.

K grinned and showed her cards — smiling still only because she had the high card. She popped up to her feet, pushed the cash and chips toward Kurt and grabbed a hold of Logan's arm just as he pushed his chips and cash over to Steve. "That's good enough for me — have fun, boys," K called out, dragging him along.

When they got back up to their room, there was one last birthday gift for Logan waiting on the table: a set of keys to the mini-jet along with a note in Scott's careful script with a set of coordinates.

_The place is rented out through the 24th. Happy birthday. Enjoy._

"Is this really the super sweet gesture it looks like," K asked, "or is this his way of trying to bogart the baby? I'm not sure."

"The first one," Logan said as he pulled her over to give her a kiss. "Though I wouldn't be surprised at the other one either."


	16. Star-Crossed Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff... IN SPACE

Melody could hardly believe the fact that she was actually looking forward to getting away from everything for a while, but she was.

Not that she didn't absolutely _love_ the fact that there had been three weddings this year, not to mention all of the birthday parties and Christmas and everything else, but now that the new year was here and there was some breathing room, Melody was actually glad to get away with just her family to go to Hala.

She knew from skimming Krissy's surface thoughts that her new sister-in-law was nervous about going to Hala as part of the ambassador's family for the first time and getting the whole official introduction to the emperor thing, but Melody could hear Celeste encouraging Krissy mentally, promising that it was going to be painless and that Sinta was actually easy to get along with.

 _He's always nice to us when we visit,_ Celeste said. _And you're part of our family now, so you don't have to worry._

 _I've just never_ personally _met the emperor of a whole planet before,_ Krissy said, her tail twisting around behind her.

Melody came over to where they were so that she could sit on Krissy's other side, meaning the elfling was surrounded on either side by one of the twins. _Don't worry so much,_ Melody told her. _Everybody who knows you loves you. You'll probably be running the whole planet by the time it's time to leave._

 _This is true. No one can resist a pirate princess,_ Celeste teased.

Krissy seemed to be doing a little better — though when Sying got back from visiting their dad in the cockpit and playing navigator, she relaxed substantially, and the two of them slipped off together.

 _I hope I find someone who makes me feel that safe,_ Melody told her sister, letting out a little sigh of happiness at the thought.

 _I hope so too,_ Celeste said, grinning at her sister as the two of them bumped shoulders. _We got a pretty good sister-in-law, didn't we?_

 _For sure,_ Melody agreed. _It's nice to hear Sying so happy._

 _Yeah, Charlie's been hanging around him and the other couple all the time with how over the moon they are,_ Celeste agreed, grinning. _Food?_

_Sugar Bombs?_

_Obviously._

Melody grinned at her sister, and the two of them took off for the galley.

* * *

When the _Marvel_ did finally arrive on Hala, the kids were impressed as they took in the sights. Hala always looked different whenever they came back, but now, there was no sign of the scarring of the invasion that had been so prevalent when Ael had come home with Noh and Jubilee. The last of that damage was gone — at least as far as they could see — and it looked like the planet was really starting to _thrive_.

Noh was, predictably, tickled by the improvement to his homeworld as the group of them headed to the center of the capital, grinning as he took in the sights and sounds of the streets. "This is much more like home," he told Jubilee with a contented sort of sigh, and she squeezed his hand with hers.

"It's definitely better than before," she agreed.

The group of them headed to the council chambers, where the most powerful Kree would all meet. Obviously, the kids weren't allowed to attend _that_ part of things, but that didn't mean they weren't allowed in the building, which was just a stone's throw away from the palace. Sying took special delight in showing Krissy around, pointing out the different alien plants and features that he knew were unfamiliar to her as she grew more and more wide-eyed and impressed as they kept going.

"It seems your family grows every time we meet," Sinta said as, at last, he came toward the group of them. He wasn't alone; he had a tall, slender woman beside him who Krissy realized had to be his wife, and his only son had grown about a foot since the Lee-Varrs last saw him.

Noh grinned at Sinta and then swept an arm toward Krissy to indicate her. "This is my son's new bride," he said with a smile. "Krissy, as you can probably guess, she is Nightcrawler's eldest."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sinta said, and Krissy did her very best curtsey in response to his bow her way.

"It's very nice to meet you too," Krissy said.

Sinta smiled her way for a moment before he turned his attention back to Noh, and the two of them quickly got lost in talking about more official things. Jubilee actually got along pretty well with Sinta's wife, too, so they were catching up, and with Krissy and Sying still looking around — with Ael's enthusiastic help, since he loved to be back on his home world — that left the twins with the crown prince.

It wasn't like Melody had never met E'tann before, either. After all, she came to Hala with her dad often enough to know who he was, even if they didn't really talk much. But for some reason, that extra foot or so ….

Celeste grinned over at her sister. _I'm pretty sure I can catch up to our brothers,_ she projected before Melody could even realize what she was up to, zipping off quickly as Melody shouted after her through their connection.

_Wait, what are you doing!?_

_Helping_ , Celeste replied, and then she did something that she never did and shut the door to their connection, leaving Melody literally by herself with E'tann.

Melody let out a little _hmph_ and shook her head as she found a seat near one of the windows that overlooked the capital city, though she was surprised when E'tann came to stand nearby with his hands behind his back like he was looking out at the view.

At least, until he said, "Is it really that terrible being left behind with me?"

Melody startled for a moment and looked up to see if he was joking, and when she brushed his mind to see that he was, at least partly, serious, she quickly shook her head. "No, I was talking to my sister," she explained, tapping the side of her head. "We share a psychic connection."

E'tann nodded at that and, now that he knew she wasn't frustrated with him at least, sat down on the long bench with her. "Your family has many gifts," he observed.

"Well, that's what happens when you have the parents we do," she said with a little smile. "They're kind of amazing."

"This must all seem very boring to you, then," E'tann said.

"The meetings? Oh yeah," Melody said with a little smile that E'tann couldn't help matching.

"I'm sure they would be more interesting if we were part of them."

Melody smirked and then reached out mentally to her dad. Even though he quickly rebuffed her with the reminder that these were private meetings, she got enough of a glimpse to know that it was _boring_. "No, I don't think so," she said, tapping the side of her head.

E'tann's eyebrows shot up. "You can spy on them?"

"Well, Dad won't let me, but if I _really_ wanted to, I guess I could peek in on someone else's mind and see what's so fascinating about infrastructure allocation." She made a face to illustrate how much she didn't want to do that. "But I don't want to."

"So it's not just a connection with your sister?" E'tann asked, one black eyebrow arched up.

Melody met his gaze and suddenly realized that she hadn't ever actually talked with this guy, and that he probably only knew the basics about her family. She bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ear and then nodded. "I'm telepathic. It's strongest with my sister, but it's not limited."

"Then, you can tell what I'm thinking?"

"If I look," Melody said, though when E'tann seemed to be waiting, she looked up to meet his gaze and couldn't help but smile when she reached out to his mind… and then blushed furiously when she realized that he was thinking about how _pretty_ she was. "Oh…. Thank you, I think…"

"You think?" E'tann repeated with one eyebrow raised.

Melody blushed even harder and nervously tucked her hair back again. "I — well—" She suddenly missed the connection with her sister, because when she was making this much of a fool of herself, Celeste would usually help her get her words underneath her. Celeste was better with words than she was, anyway.

"Does it work both ways?" E'tann asked when she had been quiet for too long.

"What?"

"When you look into others' minds — can they look into yours?" he asked. She thought she could see a faint purple on his blue skin for a moment, but it was gone so quickly that she wasn't sure.

"It's not… _quite_ the same," Melody admitted. "I can definitely let people hear what I'm thinking, but unless they're also a telepath, or the bond is really strong, like between me and my brothers, then I can usually control what other people hear."

"Then you have quite an unfair advantage," E'tann surmised. "You can remain a mystery, but others are an open book."

"Well, not if they're good at psychic defense," Melody said. "There are a few people back home that I _can't_ read, not unless they let me."

E'tann nodded at that, once more turning his gaze out to the city beyond them until Melody got curious enough to reach out to brush his mind again and then couldn't help but laugh.

"You're baiting me!" she accused him.

"I was just thinking that it would be interesting to learn that kind of thing," he defended.

"You - you want to know if you can filter your thoughts," she said, blushing brilliantly. "Because you don't think I noticed that you said I was pretty."

"You didn't," E'tann pointed out. "You thanked me for the compliment, but I was not trying to tell you that you are pretty just to flatter you."

Melody blushed again, playing with the very edge of her sleeves as she tried to come up with something to say in response to that. She did try calling out to Celeste for help, but that didn't work either. "Thank you," she said again, still playing with her sleeves.

E'tann smiled a bit as he moved over to sit closer to her and tipped his head down to catch her gaze. "Has no one ever told you how pretty you are?" he asked, genuinely.

"I - I look just like my sister," Melody spluttered. She had, of course, been told her whole life that she was pretty, and Kaleb had flirted with her before, but that was just… _flattery_. And Melody didn't know what to do with the genuine interest E'tann was showing her.

"No," E'tann said with that same little smile. "You smile more than she does."

"I do?" Melody looked up to meet his gaze, honestly surprised by that.

E'tann nodded. "It was the first thing I noticed when you arrived," he told her. "I thought I could not tell you apart before, but this time, I saw that you smile much more."

"Oh. Well. Thank you," Melody said, biting her lip as she floundered for something better to say. She finally ended up cheating and peeking into his mind to see that he was hoping she thought the same thing about him, and _that_ was something concrete she could work with. She cleared her throat and then looked back up at him. "You, um, you're very handsome." _That was horrible,_ she thought almost immediately after she said it, even if he did smile brightly at her.

Even though he was smiling, though, he was sure to say, "You aren't required to return the compliment, you know."

"Yeah, but…" Melody played with the edges of her sleeves some more. "You've, um, you've changed a lot since last time we were here."

"And is that a good thing?"

"Yeah."

E'tann smiled at her and then got to his feet and extended a hand to her. "Would you like to walk with me? The meeting will last most of the day, and I doubt you want to sit in this one spot for all that time."

Melody looked surprised for a moment before she broke into a shy smile and let E'tann lead her away from the window and down the hallway until they were out in the city.

It was different than wandering the streets with Noh, because Noh would always point out the structural things, but since E'tann actually lived there, he had a much more intimate knowledge of all the sights. There was, for example, a memorial to Kree who had died during the most recent Shi'ar incursion, as well as buildings that housed the history of other wars.

They were different than Earth museums, and Melody actually found herself fascinated by a lot of the holographic information, especially the obvious shift after the Supremor was gone from the more propaganda-like pieces to the ones that were more honest about how bad things had been.

The thing that struck Melody most was how _proud_ the Kree were. Not quite… prideful, like her parents had described in the invasion and everything else. But proud. Proud of the progress they had made, proud of their heritage. She could hear it in E'tann's thoughts as he showed her around, too.

She could also hear the people around them pausing when they saw E'tann. They had a lot of respect for his father, and they gave him a sort of wide berth and deference, though she also picked up a lot of … waiting. Watching. Almost like everyone was holding their breath to see what kind of person he was and what kind of leader he would be when it was his turn.

She hadn't really noticed that before, because she had always been paying more attention to keeping up with Ael, or listening to people who were still a little wary of the half-Terran family. Or maybe it was just that E'tann was older now, about a year older than her, but for Kree, that meant he was getting pretty close to being an adult.

They ended up eating in a cafe that overlooked the better part of the museum — at a private table, considering E'tann's status — before Melody finally said something about it. "Does it ever bother you?" she asked.

"Does what bother me?"

"The attention." She gestured around the museum at the various other Kree — and at the ones that she knew were following them as a security attachment, even if they _thought_ they were being sneaky about it.

E'tann followed her gesture and seemed to consider the question for a long time. "Not too much," he said at last. "It's been this way for most of my life. It is how it is."

"You don't ever wish it wasn't that way?"

"What other way would it be?" E'tann asked. "When I was very little, there was war. And then there were Shi'ar." He gestured to the museum below them. "I would much rather bear this burden than go back to how it was before."

Melody couldn't help but smile at that, her shoulders dropping as she leaned forward almost unconsciously. "That's very noble."

E'tann looked surprised for a moment before it was his turn to blush. "It's… the way I was raised."

Melody smiled at him. "Yes, but you're forgetting that I can read minds." She tapped the side of her head. "You do worry about living up to being emperor one day. I can tell."

"My father united our entire planet," E'tann said softly, then trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed.

Melody smiled gently and then reached out with her mind. _You don't have to say anything out loud if you don't want to. If you concentrate on your thoughts, I can hear them._

E'tann's eyebrows shot up at the psychic contact before he couldn't help but smile, clearly thrilled with the newness of it all. _I've never done anything like this before,_ he admitted.

 _Just focus on what you're saying and try not to let your mind wander,_ Melody told him. _But if it does, don't worry about it. You're still learning, and you wouldn't believe some of the hilarious rabbit holes I've chased some people down trying to have a conversation with them._

_Rabbit holes?_

Melody couldn't help but smile. _Right. That's… an Earth expression. I was mostly just saying that people let their minds wander all the time when they're still learning how to do this._

E'tann nodded slowly, his gaze locked with hers as he tried to keep his concentration fixed, though even just looking at him, she could tell that he was a bit nervous about the whole thing. _Do you do this often?_

 _I do,_ she said. _My grandfather says I should do it a little less, because talking is important, but I think that privacy is important too. And you don't seem to have privacy with all the people watching you._

 _No,_ he agreed. _Not very often at all._

 _It's alright to be a little jealous of other Kree, you know,_ Melody told him. _Other Kree don't go on boring meeting field trips and have bodyguards._

_I'm used to it._

_That's not what I said._ Without even thinking about it, Melody reached over and put her hand on E'tann's. _But for what it's worth, I think you're going to be amazing._

E'tann seemed to straighten up, turning bright purple as his thoughts fixated for a moment on the hand Melody had on his before he got a handle on his concentration again. _You really think so?_

 _I think your dad is a great leader, and I think he's a great person to try to be,_ Melody said. _But I also think the fact that you_ care _so much is going to make you a good leader too._ She smiled at him lightly. _That's all anyone can ask for, right? Someone who tries and who has their heart in the right place. At least, that's what the X-Men always say._

 _Are you one?_ E'tann asked, leaning forward with an obviously interested expression.

 _An X-Man?_ Melody bit her lip and shook her head. _No. I mean, Celeste and I talked about it, but we don't think we'd make it on the team. Our grandfather_ — _Wolverine_ — _he has pretty high standards, and he doesn't think we're good at keeping control of our powers._

 _So you've given up rather than try,_ E'tann said with a frown. _That's not very Kree._

Melody flushed red with embarrassment and looked back down at her hands. _Well. Okay._

E'tann frowned deeper before he reached over to take her other hand so that they were holding both hands across the table. "It wasn't an insult, just an observation," he said. "You do things very differently on Earth than we do them here."

"No, you're right," Melody said. "That's what Grampa Wolvie says a lot — we take the easy path too often."

E'tann couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "Grampa Wolvie?" he repeated. " _That_ is what you call Wolverine?"

"Um… yes?"

"You must be a fierce warrior," he laughed, still shaking his head. "I can't imagine anyone calling him that."

"He's my grandfather," Melody said. "What am I supposed to call him?"

"I don't know, but that seems so strange to me," E'tann said. He shook his head again. "You are a very interesting Kree, Melody."

"Thanks, I think," she said.

"And you are back to 'I think'," he said with a little smile.

"Well, I'm not sure if 'interesting' is a good thing or not," she said.

"It is," he assured her, then seemed to decide something all at once and got to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Why don't we go somewhere else?" he offered. "We have some lovely courtyards at the palace, and I doubt you've seen some of the animals we have there."

She shook her head with a little smile. "I don't know very many Kree animals," she admitted.

"Well, why don't I tell you about my world, and you can tell me more about yours," E'tann suggested, leading the way as they headed out of the museum back toward the way they had come.

* * *

The visit to Hala lasted for a few days, but by the time it was over, Melody almost didn't want to leave.

She had been enjoying herself with E'tann, learning about the Kree homeworld the way _he_ saw it. But more than that, she had been enjoying how much she was able to _talk_ with him.

They spent almost the whole time together, as E'tann told her about how removed he felt from other Kree at times, especially as an only child and son of the emperor. Melody simply couldn't imagine being that isolated, since she'd had her sister's voice in her head since she was eight, but she did her best to listen to E'tann as he described it.

And he listened to her as she talked about her family back home and the romances that she loved to watch. He seemed to think it was "interesting" — all of the interpersonal dynamics and the chaos that came from so many disorganized minds had to be strange for him, but Melody loved it.

So as her family was loading up and getting ready to go, Melody had hung back to stay with E'tann, still deep in conversation about how he'd been learning at a private school with other children that belonged to the council members — which was far and away different from what Melody was used to at the institute.

"Maybe you could come for a semester," Melody said, her fingers entwined in his. She wasn't really sure when they had started holding hands, but they had, and she wasn't going to stop it when she was enjoying herself so much. "You could learn more about Earth."

"I may just," E'tann said with a smile. "And perhaps you could come here and learn more about Hala."

"Maybe I will," Melody said, drawing herself up.

E'tann smiled at her. "I wish you would," he said. "I'd much rather spend time with you than with anyone else."

Melody blushed at that and bit her lip. "That's a very sweet thing to say," she said.

E'tann's smile widened for a moment before he glanced over at the _Marvel_ and very quickly stole a soft kiss. It wasn't very long, but it left Melody grinning when he stepped back. "I will write to you until the next time I see you, Melody," he promised.

It took Melody a moment to get her words back underneath her before she broke into a little giggle and nodded. "I'll write you too, I promise," she said before she heard Ael yelling out to her that she was making them late and blushed deeply before she gave E'tann a kiss on the cheek and then rushed to go catch up with the rest of her family.

She was still deeply blushing when she got into the ship, and she almost startled when she heard Celeste in her head, _How did it go?_

After all that time being apart from her sister, it was almost weird having Celeste back, and she almost wanted to push her back. She'd liked it just being her and E'tann. _It… it was really nice,_ she said slowly.

Celeste grinned at that. _Tell me about it!_

But Melody surprised herself when she shook her head. _I… I actually want to go write an email,_ she said. _But we'll talk later, okay?_

Celeste stared at her for a moment before she broke into a little giggle and nodded. _You've got it bad, Mel._

_Oh, shut up._

"Where have you _been?_ " Jubilee said when the pair of them came around the corner. She had her fists on her hips and was almost glaring their way.

Melody glanced over at Celeste, but her sister was no help. _Pretty sure she's talking to you,_ Celeste teased, and Melody rolled her eyes before she turned back to their mom.

"I was just saying goodbye to E'tann," she said.

"E'tann," she said, her chin tipped up as she looked the pair of them over with a critical eye. "How did you two decide to go off exploring … _alone_?"

"We just started talking," Melody defended. "Actually, he's really nice, Mom. And kind of sweet cute…"

Jubilee stopped cold and stared at her. "Cute, huh?"

Melody blushed deeply. "Well, he _is_."

Jubilee smirked and crossed her arms, chewing for a moment before she started to slowly blow a bubble while saying "mmmmmmm hmmmmmm."

Melody tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled on the ends a bit. "I'm not doing anything _wrong_ ," she said.

"Oh, of _course_ not," Jubilee said, looking down her nose at her. She pulled her phone out and snapped a photo of the two of them before she grinned and sent it in a text along with a picture she had snuck before of Melody and E'tann. "Why would you do something like that? And who said you were doing anything _wrong_ to begin with?"

"You - you had the Mom Look on," Melody pointed out.

"And you had the 'guilty' look. I stand by the Mom Look," Jubilee said. "We'll see what the Jury has to say."

"So I'm not allowed to flirt with anyone?" Melody asked. "I'm almost fifteen, Mom. And Sying was flirting with Krissy _long_ before that."

"I didn't say you couldn't," Jubilee said. "But if you do — you need to be prepared for the backlash. That's all I'm saying." She cracked her gum loudly and then grinned her way.

"There shouldn't be backlash to flirting," Melody grumbled. "He's nice and I like him."

"Welcome to the real world," Jubilee said as she bounced onto one foot, slowly spun, and started the other direction.

Melody let her shoulders slump as she looked toward Celeste. _This is so unfair._

 _Maybe not,_ Celeste reasoned. _I mean, I've been on a few dates with Jayce and Mom and Grampa Wolvie haven't totally freaked out yet._

_See? Unfair._

_To be fair, Jayce isn't destined to rule an entire planet,_ Celeste said.

Melody rolled her eyes as she spun on her heel to head for their room. _I hate all of you so much right now._

* * *

Logan was working out a few panels on the blackbird that had sustained a little more damage than he was happy with on the last mission. The old patch it up with black duct tape wasn't going to hold anymore. Not with the new alloy that this one was made of anyhow. He'd cut out the torn up panels and gotten the new pieces to size and had finally finished the welding job on the last one when Noh's ship came in.

"Timing is everything," he muttered to himself as he lowered the torch from the fuselage to the floor of the hangar — and quickly followed suit himself. He still had a few things to do before he could bust out the paint, but the weld was smooth and the patch would be sound enough to avoid replacing the whole wing.

He'd barely gotten down to the floor of the hangar before one of the speedy kids rushed over to tackle him in a hug, taking him to the ground simply because of the speed and strength of the hit, and when he caught himself enough to see which one it was, Melody grinned up at him with a cheeky kind of "hello!"

"What's the deal, kiddo?" Logan asked, though he gave her a squeeze right back. "Can't have missed me. You weren't gone long enough."

"I just wanted to say thanks," she said, hugging him tightly.

He kissed the top of her head. "For what, darlin'," Logan asked.

"I met a really cute boy," she told him with a wide, troublemaking grin. "And you were right — it was so much better without Celeste tagging along in my head."

"I'm right a lot more than people give me credit for," Logan told her as she gave him another squeeze. "But now I gotta ask … was that the goofy lookin' Kree kid your mother sent the picture of?"

"He's _not_ goofy looking," Melody said.

"Kinda goofy lookin'."

"He is not," Melody insisted, putting her finger in the center of his chest.

"You can do better," Logan told her with a smirk.

"He's really cute, Grampa Wolvie. And he's sweet. And he _cares_ about things very deeply. And - and he's a great listener…"

"Well if one of those things he cares about ain't you, I'm gonna have to go all the way to Hala to kill him — and that's an awful long way to get a burn on."

Melody shook her head at him. "We're going to write each other," she said.

"Uh-huh," he said, nodding slowly. "Don't matter. Still stands. I'll kill him."

"Oh, don't do that," Melody insisted. "I _like_ him. And he thinks I'm pretty!"

"Well, at least his eyesight ain't off," Logan said with a smirk.

Melody just rolled her eyes at that before she finally let him up and then gave him one more hug. "I told him he should come here, but I don't know if it's easy for a prince to get permission to live on Earth for a while…"

"Wouldn't be the first one," Logan said as he gathered up his tools. "Probably not the last." He paused and turned back her way with a troublemaking smirk. "All you'd have to do is point out how the Shi'ar were brave enough to send their crown prince. Kree might be too scared."

Melody giggled. "Oh, that's horrible," she said. "It would totally work."

He smiled wider and nodded his head. "It absolutely would."


	17. Pretty Little Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the fluff comes to a sudden and abrupt stop.

Amadi was back in town, and Leslie Ann was back on the team, which was really the perfect storm. Already, the two nature witches were talking back and forth about the team, with Leslie Ann encouraging Amadi to go for the tryouts, and when Chloe overheard their discussion, she couldn't help but take her older cousin's side.

"You'd be _amazing_ ," she gushed, alerting the other two to the fact that she'd overheard what they were talking about. "Besides, we always need more girls on the team."

"Oh, always," Leslie Ann agreed, smirking and nodding along. "Otherwise, the boys get fat heads."

"Always," Chloe said, matching her cousin's smirk.

Amadi laughed. "You two are so much alike. How can anyone say no to you when you're both so excited?"

"It's impossible," Chloe said, threading her arm through Amadi's. "Besides, I just got on the team, and I love it. And, selfishly, I'd love it even more if there was someone newer to take the protective, shiny sign off my back."

Leslie Ann winced in sympathy. "Ooh, yeah, I remember that. I was the baby of my group in the junior squad, too."

"How did you cope?" Amadi asked, genuinely interested — especially if Chloe was telling the truth and the team tended to overprotect its newest members.

"I made Logan take me to Japan," Leslie Ann said, grinning crookedly.

"Okay, so now we need to put that on our list of things to do," Chloe told Amadi, grinning wider. "I've heard stories about the ninja baiting, and I've been with my family and theirs, but a ninja trip with Logan on our own?"

Amadi matched Chloe's grin. "We'll have to make this happen, then."

"Perfect." Chloe bounced on her toes slightly and then turned to Leslie Ann. "We should do something fun. I mean, two nature witches and the baby of the team? I'm sure we can come up with something to do."

"You just want to convince Amadi to join the team with ice cream and skating," Leslie Ann accused her, though she was already grinning too widely to pull off stern. Even though she was fully grown, hanging out with her baby cousin made her feel like she was a teenager and a first-time X-Man all over again.

"Would that work?" Chloe asked Amadi, turning toward her with her whole body.

Amadi's eyes were sparkling with trouble. "I suppose you'll have to try it to find out."

"Oh, we're going to be best friends," Chloe laughed.

"Come on, girls. I'll tell Japan stories while we're out," Leslie Ann said, jangling her keys. And with that, all three of them were piling into the car to head out for a night on the town.

They did, of course, end up getting ice cream, but instead of going skating, they wound up going to the park. Leslie Ann and Amadi had been joking around, and somehow, that turned into a dare to go to the park and create the best winter wonderland possible. It was late January, at that point of winter where the cold was starting to get miserable, so it would be the perfect way to have some _fun_.

The car was barely in park before the girls were getting to work, with Chloe giggling madly and egging them on. Leslie Ann made the evergreens around the park bigger and fuller, and Amadi created a light snow that fell in big flakes that were perfect for some of the little kids in the park to run around trying to catch on their tongues.

And once the girls had an audience, they started to _show off_.

Leslie Ann waved the kids over, and the next thing they knew, they had an impromptu post-Christmas rendition of the Sugarplum Fairy, with saplings dancing and the snow swirling in perfectly-timed drifts. The kids looked like they couldn't believe their eyes, and even their parents were enchanted by the time it got late enough that people started to head home.

Of course, a few more people had come to see the show. An Avenger and two second-generation members of the X-Men were in themselves a sight to see. So it took some convincing to break up the crowd — until Amadi switched the snow to a cold rain when some of the onlookers were a little _too_ curious.

"Oh yeah. You _so_ need to stick around," Chloe laughed delightedly - perfectly dry along with the other two girls as the park emptied out.

"No rest for the witches," Leslie Ann teased, plucking a bit of pine from her short-cropped hair. She might have gotten a little overenthusiastic for the kids.

Chloe grinned — but then noticed that the park wasn't quite clear. It looked like a few men were headed their way despite the rain, and noting their size, Chloe couldn't help but frown. "Hey, we're no longer attracting the fun kind of attention."

Amadi narrowed her eyes, and the rain came down harder and colder until it was sleet. But when that didn't deter the huge men, she took a step back toward the other two. "I don't think I want to find out what they're doing here, do you?"

"Definitely not," Leslie Ann said, reaching out a hand so that the tree around them swung their branches out, snagging a couple of the men by the ankles and dangling them upside down.

Chloe was already on her guard simply because she was with a group of girls being approached by large men, but when she saw the lumbering men react surprisingly quickly to the trees, yanking themselves free with strength that definitely wasn't normal, she felt her stomach drop into her knees. "Oh no," she whispered.

If she hadn't seen Sinister and his Marauders during her test to get onto the team, she probably would have frozen worse than she already did. She _did_ freeze — seeing them in person was different than being in the Danger Room and knowing in the back of her mind that she was safe — but not as badly. She had Logan's advice in her mind telling her not to turn her back on the bodyguards, and somehow, that prompted her to turn and take in the _whole_ picture of the park.

Some Marauders were caught in the trees, but others were coming in from the edges near the fence that surrounded the park. "Amadi," Chloe called out, sounding stressed before she swallowed and tried to force herself to sound calmer, "there are more of them. Let up on the rain; we need to see."

Amadi eased up on the rain, frowning in Chloe's direction. "What-"

Chloe held up a hand before Amadi could finish her question. "Marauders," she said, her hands in fists as she saw more of the hulking beasts seemingly coming out of the woodwork of the park.

But even Leslie Ann looked upset, despite being the oldest and most experienced of the three of them. "Jana," she said, looking around and trying to see her old friend, betraying exactly _why_ she wasn't as nervous as the other two girls. Jana had been her best friend, after all. She hadn't seen her since she had become Sinister's new host.

"You gonna be able to fight her?" Chloe asked, sounding more confident than she felt — which she was grateful for. She was scared stiff, but at least she didn't sound like she was a _basket case_. She was even thinking tactically! Small miracles.

"I don't know," Leslie Ann said. At least she was honest.

"Then focus on the Marauders," Chloe said, her eyes lighting up red.

The three girls had already been impressive in their own rights, especially the two nature witches showing off for the people at the park. But they were at an entirely different level when their lives and freedoms were possibly on the line. Leslie Ann had the ground buckling and moving underneath the Marauders, coaxing roots to move what long-dead grass couldn't. Amadi whipped up strong winds but couldn't quite manage a gale or tornado like her mother could when she'd already been showing off with snow and sleet over such a large area. She was still young enough that she needed practice to control her powers without burning out too quickly.

And Chloe was putting to use every single thing she'd learned from her short time on the team, not to mention Logan's tips after that Sinister sim. She didn't hold back against the Marauders — not that the other two were — and she was blasting hulking men left and right by the time Sinister reached out to her telepathically to announce her presence.

_I see your graduation onto the team has allowed you to nourish your potential._

Chloe nearly lost a step, her eyes wide as she whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice. But she could only see Marauders. Still, she resisted the urge to respond to Sinister. She didn't want to open herself up to attack. Instead, she did everything Rachel had taught her to strengthen her mental defenses — and hoped that would be enough.

She was distracted enough, though, that she very nearly didn't see the Marauder coming until she felt the ground twist beneath her, and she spun around in time to see a Marauder getting dragged under the ground by several tree roots.

Leslie Ann rushed over at a jog. "What happened?" she asked breathlessly. She was also starting to wear out, but she was trying not to show how tired she felt when she knew Amadi was terrified being in her first big fight.

"Sinister," Chloe explained tersely, pointing toward her own head.

Leslie Ann narrowed her eyes before, all at once, the trees and other plants around the park were much more aggressive. The display of her power was every bit as impressive as it had been when she was a teenager and showing off for Captain America for her audition for the Avengers; the greenery around them swirled and stretched until every single Marauder was either laid out and unconscious or trapped neatly in the trees too far off the ground to reach them and too well-pinned to move a muscle.

"I'm not letting her take my baby cousin," Leslie Ann said, though she was half bent over and propping herself up with one hand on her car even as Amadi rushed over, her eyes still wide.

"Are you two alright?" Amadi panted.

Chloe shook her head, her expression urgent. "We need to get out of here. Sinister's watching us. She's _close_."

"Oh," Amadi said simply, looking somehow _more_ wide-eyed as Leslie Ann straightened up and waved them both into the car.

And then, almost as soon as they were in the car, before Leslie Ann could even put the key in the ignition, both Amadi and Leslie Ann simply… froze.

"Oh no," Chloe breathed out. She shook their shoulders, already knowing it wasn't going to do any good. "Leslie Ann, wake up. Amadi, come on…"

 _I'm not surprised that you've found impressive companions to surround yourself with,_ Sinister's voice echoed in Chloe's mind. _That was quite the display._

 _Leave me alone,_ Chloe said, forgoing her earlier conviction not to rise to Sinister's bait when she was honestly running out of ways to get _away_.

Sinister finally made her presence known as she strolled toward the car, looking completely unconcerned by the chaos of all the twisted plants and unconscious Marauders around her. Her eyes and the diamond in her forehead were glowing as she told Chloe, _Now, come out of there._

To Chloe's horror, despite every bit of telepathic training she'd ever had, she found herself opening the car door and sliding out of it to walk toward Sinister, even as she said, "What do you want?"

"You need to rest," Sinister said. "All will be clear once you're settled in and comfortable. Though I must say, I'm rather pleased with your progress. Such a smart little girl."

"I'm not trying to impress _you_." She was surprised she was forming coherent responses, considering she couldn't get her feet to respond to anything more than the command to walk and she couldn't find the wherewithal to fight back.

"All the same, you are exactly as I designed," Sinister said.

Chloe was pretty sure she could actually taste her heartbeat in her mouth. "Leave me alone," she breathed out.

Sinister laughed at that — a low, throaty sort of sound. "Don't be ridiculous. We have work to do."

"Then get your minions to help you," Chloe shot back, somehow more upset at being laughed at than anything else he'd said to her.

"No, my dear. _We_ have work to do."

" _I'm_ an X-Man."

"Not anymore," Sinister said shortly. "I'd prefer you learn to behave, but as you can see, I have no trouble _making_ you do as you _should._ " He took a moment to compose himself. "Luckily for you, I'm civilized enough to give you the _choice_ first."

Chloe had reflexively shirked back as she came to a stop in front of Sinister. "What do you even want?" she asked softly. "You've never bothered me before…"

"A competent assistant." He turned toward her. "And just because you don't think that I'm aware of you and your talents does not mean that it is so."

"I'm not stupid," Chloe said, her temper flaring at last. "You think I think you'd ignore _anyone_ in my family? I just assumed you'd picked out your _favorite_ with my brother."

"Be thankful that you don't _remember everything_. Though I can certainly alter that."

All of the blood drained from Chloe's face. "What."

"There is no bloodline on this earth that I've watched and nurtured more closely than the Summers family. Do you honestly think that after _generations_ of watching — _pruning_ back the dead limbs — that I'd _pick and choose_?"

It took Chloe a full minute to catch her breath. "...I… I don't…"

"You don't know everything, Miss Summers. But if you do well, you could."

"I don't… really want… not the way _you_ … I mean…" Chloe swallowed a few times. "I just want to go home."

Sinister looked pensive for a moment as she weighed it out and then spoke carefully. "If you can manage to do a good job, if I don't have to _force_ you to help, I'll let you return to your family."

Chloe was trying her best not to look like a scared little girl, but that's exactly what she was in that moment as she met Sinister's gaze. "I don't know if I believe that."

"Regardless of what lies you have been told that would suggest to the contrary, I am a man of my word," Sinister said.

"Then…" Chloe bit her lip, trying to think of what her dad had said about Sinister, but holding onto any thought but terror was like trying to hold onto water. "Then… I … I won't fight _the assistant part_ ," she clarified.

"That's all I asked for," Sinister replied in a smooth and reasonable-sounding tone.

"Just so we're clear," Chloe said. "And I can't guarantee I won't suck at it."

She smiled crookedly. "And I'll know if you do anything to purposely skew my work."

"Which is…"

"You'll see," she said. "It's actually something I've done before; the method simply needs a bit of an update." With that, she gestured for her to follow, and Chloe was too scared to come up with anything else to say or even _do_.

* * *

When Leslie Ann and Amadi snapped out of it, they weren't aware that anything had changed until they realized how dark it was — and how very empty the back seat of the car was.

"Oh no," Leslie Ann breathed out, already putting the keys in the ignition as she tossed her phone to Amadi. "Call my uncle," she said, her voice strained. She couldn't believe she'd managed to _lose_ Chloe. Scott was going to be so upset. "Maybe we can still find her fast."

Amadi was so thrown off by the telepathic attack _and_ the fact that Chloe was gone that it took her several long seconds to break out of her panic before she did, in fact, call Scott, gripping the phone slightly too hard for comfort as she waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, Leslie Ann," Scott said, the smile apparent in his voice.

"Actually, it's Amadi," she replied uneasily, not at all prepared for how to tell him that his youngest was _missing_.

Scott must have picked up on how upset she sounded, because he switched gears quickly. "What happened?"

Amadi glanced toward Leslie Ann, who was speeding as fast as she dared down the snowy roads to get them both back home. "We… we went out," she said. "Leslie Ann and Chloe and I…" She swallowed. "I'm so sorry. We ran into Marauders."

"What happened, Amadi?" Scott pressed again, sounding stressed.

"She took Chloe," Leslie Ann almost shouted in frustration, cutting across Amadi as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She had always hated this part of being an X-Man — the intense danger the people that she loved were always in. "I'm so sorry, Uncle Scott."

"It wasn't your fault," Scott promised quickly. "Get home as fast as you can. I'll call Rachel." With that, he hung up.

And in Westchester, he was pacing and furious. Somehow, the first thought Rachel caught from him when she arrived via bamf was that he should have expected something to go wrong when things had been going so _well_ lately with the weddings and other celebrations.

Rachel shook her head, sighed, and put her hand on her dad's shoulder. "Chloe's tough. She'll find a way to reach out if we don't find her first."

"I know," Scott said. "It's everything that happens in the meantime — that's what always gets us."

* * *

As for Chloe, she was, in fact, in shock — still reeling from everything leading up to being stuck with Sinister, let alone the rest of it. She was sort of keeping up with what she asked her to do, though she didn't understand most of it — which was at least giving her the chance to process her own emotions. She didn't know how bad the situation was if she didn't understand it, so she might as well have her mind elsewhere while Sinister talked to herself in jargon over Chloe's head.

Chloe was barely old enough to test into the team; she wasn't _Gerry_. She didn't know half of what Sinister was talking about.

So she really didn't have a way to gauge when Sinister was wrapping up her projects, either. Not until she asked Chloe to clean up.

It was odd. Her brothers and sister and the Howletts and everyone else had always talked about Sinister and the way he worked over the team, but this was all… well, it felt like an actual lab. No one on the examination table, no captives, just… labwork.

Maybe she was being telepathically influenced to not see the bad stuff? No, he'd told her to be his assistant, and besides, she had been working with Rachel her whole life.

Chloe just… didn't get it.

She followed Sinister's instructions on how to clean the lab after the tests they'd run, and then, once that was done, she stepped back, her arms wrapped around her middle and her mind going a mile a minute trying to understand what she was helping to put forward. When she got back to her family, she wanted _something_ actionable to tell them. She needed something to pull out of this mess that she could call a victory, because everything else _sucked_.

So when Sinister sat down in front of her and gestured for her to sit as well, Chloe was surprised — because she'd thought they were done.

 _Come on, Chloe,_ she thought to herself. _Get it together._ Then, out loud, she said, "So… I'll just call a cab and go home, then…?"

"Not quite yet," Sinister said in that oddly layered tone that grated against Chloe's ears. "We have much to discuss. I'm sure you've heard all sorts of tall tales about my research."

"Firsthand accounts, you mean," she said, still unconsciously wrapping her arms around herself even if she didn't mean to.

"You should know you're beyond the reach of even your sister's considerable talents," Sinister said. "So it would be wise for you to _not_ abandon your civility and manners just yet."

Chloe blinked, and then, unbidden, a crooked smile made it to the corner of her mouth. "Rachel's more powerful than I am."

"Yes, I'm well aware — and well prepared for her particular power set." Sinister leaned back in the chair, fingers tented under her chin. "Even at her strongest, _her_ mother was unable to reach beyond my boundaries if I didn't allow it."

Chloe leaned back slightly. She had always imagined that she'd face Sinister with bluster, but she wasn't her brothers. She was _scared_ of Sinister, and it showed. "Right."

"Save me the trouble of making this hard on you," Sinister said. "And simply tell me about yourself." She held up one finger. "And I'll know if you're underselling."

"I mean, the glasses give away my powers, don't they?" Chloe pointed out. "That's what you're interested in, isn't it?"

"My dear girl, that has never been all that I've considered." She smirked. "If it was, tell me what _use_ would your dear Charlotte have? An empath? Hardly noteworthy."

"You're just short-sighted," Chloe shot back. "Charlie's been able to help almost everyone on the team with her powers."

Sinister gestured to the doors where the Marauders were definitely stationed just outside. "In case you didn't realize it, I found the way around such trivial hurdles as _emotions_ generations ago. Useless waste of energy and thought that simply distracts an otherwise brilliant mind. In everyone."

Chloe shook her head at him. "That's an empty life."

"On the contrary, I've found it quite useful to remove the emotions of those who work under me. It makes them less prone to outbursts and less sloppy when concentration is key."

Chloe gestured toward the door. "And, like I said, they're _empty_."

"They serve their purpose."

"And emotions serve theirs."

Sinister smiled. "Ah, yes. There's your father peeking out." She leaned forward. "What else do you do that echoes him?"

"I told you I'm an X-Man…" she pointed out, though she left out how _new_ that still was to her.

"Yes, I'm sure you're quite proud of that," Sinister said. "What about your siblings?"

"They're on the team too — well, except Charlie. She's studying psychiatry - _because she wants to be better with her emotion powers_."

"Which requires constant psychiatry to even deal with," Sinister said in a bored tone before she reached over and rang a bell next to her hand. A moment later, the doorway was blocked as a pair of Marauders came in one after the other, quick to flank Chloe and hold her arms still while Sinister lazily stood up and crossed the room. She took her time doing _something_ out of Chloe's line of vision, though Chloe didn't need to ask what had happened when Sinister returned and gave her a shot in the crook of her arm. "This … this is a little taste of what can be," Sinister said as she took her time returning to her chair, then sat down to get comfortable. "The results are quite impressive. I think you'll agree to that much once you see how much clearer the world can be.

"What did you do?" Chloe asked — though she wasn't as alarmed as she expected to be.

Sinister smiled crookedly. "Why don't you tell me, Chloe? What did I do?"

Chloe frowned at him, blinking a few times before she said, slowly, "You… gave me something that took away my nerves and fear."

"Precisely." Sinister was smiling at her — perfectly calm herself as she watched Chloe process. "What else?"

"It …" She paused, assessing the situation. "It's something to get answers without emotion."

"Indeed," Sinister said. "So, let's get down to it, shall we? How much progress have your _useful_ siblings made with their abilities?"

"Cody focuses a lot on sharpshooting, but he's good enough he can keep up with the Hawkeyes on his best days," Chloe admitted. "He's not as good at wide-range, but he's precise. And Charlie is working with James to identify new ways to pick out individual emotional signatures with Amy."

"Who is Amy?" Sinister asked with a little frown.

"Amy is the name James came up with for the device he made for Charlie. It started as an emotional Cerebro, but they're fine-tuning it all the time trying to stretch its potential."

Sinister looked thoughtful for a long moment, considering all that she'd just told her. Even if Chloe might not know exactly what she'd just shared. The potential of it, anyhow. "And to what degree does this Amy function?" She paused. "And how long has it been operational?"

"She can find emotional signatures she's familiar with from almost anywhere," Chloe said. "It takes a toll, because she has to feel the emotions of the background noise she's sifting through in her search, but she and James have been finding ways to lessen that impact, too — for years now, really."

"With whose help?" Sinister asked. "Who spearheaded this project?"

Chloe shook her head. "Charlie had the idea, and James made it. Hank helped some when they both had a crisis of confidence over a catastrophic failure at the start, but those two do all the work on it, really."

"That is quite interesting," Sinister said under her breath. "And both of them are on the team as well, I gather?"

"James is," Chloe said. "He's been helping me and Kaleb transition into the team since we tested in at about the same time."

For a moment, Sinister narrowed her eyes and watched Chloe, then waved an impatient hand. "Tell me about Kaleb, then."

"He wants to be like his dad, so he flirts all the time, but he's probably the fastest teleporter out of all the Wagners, besides his dad. He has to be with how often he's distracted and has to rush to something at the last minute."

"And how is your father?"

"Still running the school and the team—"

"Yes, yes. But how is he faring physically?"

"He had a heart attack after you took Cody, and we've got a cardiologist who checks in on him."

"Wasteful," she muttered, impatiently tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair. "I can reverse that in an afternoon."

"He's got the whole team looking out for him and his health. It's only high stress that does it."

"Of course it is," Sinister said. "Something that could be avoided entirely if he'd simply listened to me to begin with."

Chloe tipped her head to the side. "Well, he can handle everything from missions to UN visits without having real issues. It's only when one of us kids is in trouble—"

"Wasting his time trying to cohabitate with inferior excuses for humanity."

"That's the point of the X-Men."

"Which is pointless as it stands."

Chloe was quiet for a long second as something tugged at the back of her mind, almost like a reminder that she should be passionately defending the X-Men. It was the small dose of the drug wearing off — but it was still a _weird_ experience to have her emotions come back to her like someone was turning the volume up until they were back to where they were before. She frowned, shifting the way she was sitting as the weight of everything she'd been saying suddenly occurred to her, too. "You didn't have to do that," she breathed out at last.

"No," she said. "But I find it tedious to need to sift through every thought as it occurs to you how you want to answer it as opposed to simply telling me. Besides, I have things I need to get done — and as enchanting as it is to sit here while you attempt to channel your father's level of stubborn defiance and childish sass, there are far better uses of my time."

"I still don't even know what you're _doing_ ," Chloe pointed out — an aftereffect of the drug was that she still wasn't filtering her thoughts, even if her emotions were back.

"And you're not likely to find out unless you were to willingly stay." She narrowed her eyes "I'm not foolish enough to divulge anything that might interfere with my greater calling."

"So you want me to assist you but won't let me understand the project."

"Not yet," Sinister said. "You see … I learned long ago the equation that applies to your family that directly correlates how much time should pass before I can actually get real work done … as opposed to needing to wade through the spitefulness that precedes actual progress. I simply need to see where you fall on that scale compared to those that have come before you." With that, before Chloe could reply, Sinister simply got to her feet and left — and Chloe was left to pick up the pieces of how _much_ she'd just gotten her family in trouble, too.


	18. Forgotten Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, a cliffhanger!

It had been a few days since Chloe had seen her family, but she absolutely knew why. Ever since she had told Sinister about Amy, Sinister had been dosing her occasionally with that serum that inhibited her emotions. Not often enough that Chloe wasn't terrified and cowed, but often enough that Chloe was sure Charlie hadn't picked up her "song" — or if she had, she had probably lost it.

She was pretty sure Sinister had done something telepathically to her dreams, too, because she didn't think she'd dreamed in the entire time she'd been there. Dreams were risky; they could produce emotions.

It was frustrating, because one of the main things that had been keeping Chloe going was the fact that she knew _both_ of her big sisters would be looking for her. Knowing that she'd _explained_ to Sinister what she needed to know to keep her there was only making the captivity harder to endure.

Sinister had said she wanted to see how long Chloe would be stubborn compared to her siblings and father. The truth was: Chloe was competitive. She wanted to outlast them. But she was also young, scared, and wildly vacillating between a complete lack of emotions and fear so stifling she felt like she was choking on it.

After all, one of the side effects of Sinister's concoction was that when the emotions _did_ come back on, they felt sharper and harder to deal with after spending so long _not_ having to deal with them. And Chloe was sure that was part of Sinister's plan to break her down, too — hiding her from Charlie while also scaring her out of her mind.

But since it _had_ been a few days, she had been there long enough to establish a routine. She woke up and went to breakfast at the dining room that looked too empty in the too-big and too-decorated house. She'd eat with Sinister and feel her reach out to test the edges of her mind and gauge how cowed she was, and then they would go to the lab.

At least that much was predictable — or so she thought.

She wasn't at all expecting to come down to the dining room to find Sinister partially bent over the table, clutching her head. Chloe couldn't see any sign of what was wrong, and she wondered for a brief second if her sister was trying to break through Sinister's telepathic defenses to find her.

That would be _great_.

But Chloe wasn't going to rely on pure luck to get her out of the situation, considering how little luck she'd had thus far. This could be something else entirely — and something that could affect Sinister was either really good or _very bad_.

She took a cautious step forward, not sure if she wanted to interrupt Sinister or not — but then, all at once, Sinister straightened up, her face lined in the split second it took her to regain her usual composure. She tipped her chin toward Chloe and then scoffed. "Do stop staring, Miss Summers. It's unbecoming."

Chloe bit her lip but sat down at her usual place by the head of the table. Breakfast was already set out for them to eat, but she was too curious to leave it be. "What happened?"

"Nothing to concern you," Sinister said shortly, though her hand shook slightly as she reached for her tea, even if she managed to get even that reaction under control a second later by clenching her fist and _then_ taking the teacup.

But Chloe couldn't ignore it. She _couldn't_. Even if she couldn't figure out what to ask for a long time, because there were so _many_ questions swirling in her head. "Does this have anything to do with what you've got me working on with you?" she asked. When Sinister narrowed her eyes, Chloe tipped her chin up. "I'm not stupid. Don't treat me like I am."

"Miss Summers, I wouldn't bother with _any_ effort on your behalf if I thought that," Sinister said simply.

Chloe kept her chin raised and her gaze on Sinister. "Then tell me what's going on. You brought me here to help you, didn't you?"

Sinister narrowed her eyes and considered Chloe for a long time before she smirked lightly and nodded to herself, obviously coming to a decision. "There is more going on than you know, Miss Summers. Even now, En Sabah Nur is preparing for war, and he comes to me for that cause."

"En Sabah Nur?" Chloe repeated, her nose wrinkled. The name felt familiar, but she'd been through all sorts of old X-Men logs… it wasn't in the most recent logs, but she thought she'd seen a mention…

"I"m surprised you don't recognize the name," Sinister said. "I suppose that's a mark of how long it's been since he last rose to power. Which only proves that the time is ripe." She sighed. "And there is much to be done."

"So I'm helping you help this… person," Chloe said with a frown.

"No. You're helping to safeguard my life's work," Sinister replied. "A far _dearer_ cause for me."

"I take it you don't trust your new partner, then," Chloe said and almost smirked at the thought.

"Nothing new about that," Sinister said.

"But if I'm here to safeguard your work, I'd assume I'd be backing up files or something, not… you seem to be doing _research_ , not _defense_ ," Chloe reasoned.

Sinister smiled crookedly. "I prefer to think of it as both of those things. Particularly since your family is such a keystone to that work."

Chloe crossed her arms. "I still don't understand," she said slowly.

"Barring one instance that I still regret, I've taken great care to keep your family _away_ from this character," SInister said. "That's all you truly need to know."

"So you're protecting us," Chloe said, frowning down at her food. "By having me help you safeguard your work against him."

"My dear girl, I know you're smart enough to understand that," Sinister said. "I've spent generations molding this family. I will not see that wasted for _anyone_."

"Not anyone with an X-Gene, anyway," Chloe muttered under her breath. She shook her head to herself and looked up again. "Who is he, anyway? You said not even Jean could mess with you like that."

"I'd rather not discuss it at this time," Sinister said as she finished her tea. "But we do have work to complete. And the quicker it's done, the quicker you can find yourself back _home_."

Chloe bit her lip. She still had plenty of questions, but she also did _very much_ want to go home. And she wasn't going to question getting intel, so… she got to her feet and nodded, following Sinister out.

* * *

Ever since Chloe had figured out what Sinister was up to, she had been more than a little freaked out.

The more she learned from Sinister about this En Sabah Nur, the more apparent it was that Sinister had legitimate concerns that this person might be the death of her. And she was taking steps to prevent that outcome — namely, looking into backup bodies for herself.

Honestly, Chloe was surprised that, given what Logan had put her through on her test to join the team, she hadn't put that much together herself. She blamed fear as well as confusion over this new player on the scene.

Obviously, Sinister couldn't use the backup bodies she used to have, since the Avengers and X-Men had destroyed them when Scott had killed her original form. But she was looking into something to house herself that was more than a host. A body of her own.

Which would be great news for Jana, so Chloe kept reminding herself of that one silver lining so she didn't freak herself out even _more_ than she already was.

She probably wouldn't have been sleeping well if Sinister had been letting her dream, considering what they were working on, so she was _almost_ grateful for that much, at least. But as for the rest of it… the fact that they were cataloguing traits for an empty body, the fact that Sinister was using so much of _Chloe's_ DNA and that of her family (to the point that Chloe was dehydrated more days than not from blood draws) for the new body, and the fact that Chloe was so freaked out that she was actually working harder to _understand_ Sinister's science…

Well, she was ready to be _out_ of that living nightmare. Sooner rather than later.

She was surprised, then, when she came downstairs for breakfast at the normal time and hadn't even gotten into her first bite of toast before Sinister announced, without any prelude, "You've been a wonderful help, dear girl. It's time I made good on my promise to return you to your family."

Chloe nearly dropped her toast. "Really?" she breathed out, not at all able to hide her excitement and relief.

Sinister smirked but nodded. "I have all I need to create at least a prototype. And I'm afraid that's all I have time for. En Sabah Nur is moving soon — and you _cannot_ be here when he does."

Chloe bit her lip. She still didn't know what to do about Sinister's protective urges. From what she could see of how powerful En Sabah Nur was, she supposed she should have been grateful, but she couldn't bring herself to feel anything like that where Sinister was concerned. So, instead, she simply asked, "When?"

"When will you be returned or when is he moving? Be specific, my dear," Sinister said.

Chloe bristled at the condescending tone. Sometimes, Sinister could act like an overly concerned _parent_ , and that was somehow worse than any of the experiments, in her opinion. "Both, then."

Sinister chuckled and leaned back in her seat. "Unfortunately, I'm not privy to an exact timeline of his plans, but I would say you have weeks at the most." She smiled, and the diamond at the center of her forehead glowed slightly brighter. "As for when you will rejoin your family, I need to begin the last stages of my work, and you need to be safely tucked in bed long before he becomes an issue. Finish your breakfast; I'd hate to return you with an empty stomach and feed rumors of inhospitality."

Chloe _almost_ pointed out that food was the least of Sinister's worries when it came to questions of hospitality, but she was so relieved to be headed home that she didn't bring it up and instead quickly ate what she could — even if it was hard to choke down _any_ food with the promise of home ringing in her ears. She was too excited to eat much.

Sinister watched her eat with a small smile, and then, as soon as Chloe was finished, leaned forward, her eyes and diamond glowing bright red. "Now then," she said, "there's no need for you to go running home to your father and telling him all we've been up to, is there?"

Chloe let out an involuntary noise of pure fear — and then promptly sank into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Chloe woke up lying on a hotel bed, she understandably panicked at the new environment and sat bolt upright, her heart going a mile a minute and her eyes wide behind her glasses.

No one else was in the hotel room — thank goodness — and when she went to the window, she realized she was in Salem Center. So that was good. But she had no idea how she'd gotten there or why she was in what looked like the executive suite.

She took stock of herself and was relieved to find that, physically, she seemed alright. The crooks of her elbows were bruised, but other than that, she was… fine. Freaked out, yes, but … well, things could be worse, she kept telling herself, despite the fact that she was practically hyperventilating.

With her arms wrapped around her middle, she tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. She had decided to go out with friends… She frowned and rubbed her forehead. She could remember glimpses of something happening — the most concerning detail of which being the enduring image of Sinister and her glowing eyes and forehead-diamond — but she didn't remember anything _concrete_ after leaving the house.

But considering whatever had happened involved Sinister, Chloe didn't want to stay in the hotel too long. Instead, she went to the phone in the hotel room and called the institute, relieved when her dad was the one to pick up.

"Hello?"

" _Dad_." Chloe could have cried, but she was still in too much shock.

" _Chloe_?" Scott's tone mirrored herself almost exactly. "Chloe, sweetheart, where are you? Are you alright? We're coming to get you."

Chloe held onto the phone tighter with every word of encouragement. "I'm okay," she said, knowing her dad had to be worried out of his mind since she'd gone missing, even if she didn't know how long she'd been gone or what had _happened_ while she was out. "I'm… I'm at the hotel in Salem Center — the one close to the sushi place?"

"I'm taking a bamf, and I'll be right there to get you home," Scott promised. "What happened? Are you in trouble? Are you alone?"

"I think so," Chloe said, though she wasn't sure. "I don't know. Maybe bring Kurt so you've got backup? I just kind of… woke up here."

There was a long pause on the other end before Scott said, tightly, "We're on our way."

"Thanks, Dad," Chloe breathed out, setting the phone back down and biting her lip. She wanted her dad to be careful, because this felt like it could have been a trap. This was Sinister they were dealing with, and Sinister didn't just _let people go_ like this.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long before Kurt and Scott teleported to where she was, and Chloe didn't hesitate to rush over and grab her dad in a tight hug. She felt like she hadn't seen him in _ages_ , even though she had no memory of how long she'd been gone.

Judging by how tightly Scott grabbed her up and hugged her back, Chloe had to guess it had been a long time, though.

Scott kept her close and kissed the top of her head before he said to Kurt, without even looking Kurt's way, "Let's go home."

"Absolutely," Kurt said without hesitation, putting one hand on Chloe's shoulder and one on Scott's to teleport them all back to Westchester, reappearing in Chloe's room so she could have her reunion in some semblance of privacy — even though everyone knew they'd be swamped soon.

Kurt disappeared to go get Annie, though Scott had moved from hugging Chloe to looking her over, frowning at her elbows in particular. "Chloe, what happened?" he asked softly.

Chloe shook her head, her eyes wide. "I don't _know_ ," she whispered, suddenly overwhelmed by that simple fact as her eyes brimmed with tears. "I went to get food, and then… I woke up in the hotel."

Scott's frown deepened, though it looked like he had an idea of what was going on all the same. "Chloe, that was almost two weeks ago."

Chloe could actually feel how pale she went when she heard it. "What?"

"Can you remember anything? Anything at all?"

Chloe tried — she really did — because her dad looked so upset that she wanted _so badly_ to remember something for him. But, ultimately, she had to shake her head. "I think I saw Sinister, but…"

Scott sighed. "I wish I could say I was surprised," he said before he pulled her into another hug and let her cry quietly into his shirt. "This is what he does. I _still_ don't remember most of what he did when I was your age. I'm just sorry he's making this a pattern."

Chloe nodded, and Scott just held her as she got herself back under control — though when Annie showed up with Kurt, it was harder to get the lid back on her emotions when Annie was openly crying and hugging Chloe as tightly as she could, vowing to skin "that woman" alive if she ever saw her.

And Chloe was glad to see her parents. She was. She was so relieved she felt like she'd choke on the sensation. But there was something tugging at the back of her mind — something _important_. She knew she _knew_ something. Something she needed to tell her dad. But every time she _tried_ to remember, her head hurt.

Scott was the one to notice her expression and dipped his head to catch her gaze. "What's wrong?"

Chloe bit her lip; she was starting to leave teeth marks. "I know I know something important," she said. "But I don't know what it is."

Scott frowned. "Important how?" he asked. "You might not have the details, but sometimes, the _idea_ lingers."

Chloe shook her head slowly. "I… I think I know what Sinister is planning, but that's all I can say. It's just… an impression. But every time I try to look, my head hurts."

Scott let out a breath and then ran a hand over her hair. "For now, just focus on being home. I'll have Hank look you over and see if we can suss together any clues. And if it's really bothering you, Rachel can look. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, and we'll fix it together, alright?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, we are being evil and ending this mostly volume-o-fluff with a terrible cliffhanger. Just imagine what awaits you in the next volume, which will go up very soon: "Horsemen."


End file.
